


Last City

by for_blueskies



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Adrien Agreste Knows, Adrien and Felix Agreste, Akuma Possession, Anxiety Disorder, Backstory, Bisexual Adrien Agreste, Chloe is so in love with Adrien it hurts, Eventual Happy Ending, Everyone Needs A Hug, Flesh him out as more of a relatable character, I Made Myself Cry, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Sorry, I'm hoping I write this well enough to expand on why Adrien acts the way he does, LGBTQ Female Character of Color, Marinette Dupain-Cheng Knows, Mental Health Issues, Multi, My First Work in This Fandom, Original Character(s), Plagg is such an asshole, Puella Magi Madoka Magica AU, Shameless Puns, Slow Burn, Slow To Update, There Are Happy Moments in This I Promise, Tragic Romance, Trans Female Character, Yeah that's right
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-02-15
Packaged: 2018-05-20 20:42:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6024037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/for_blueskies/pseuds/for_blueskies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adrien is tired. He's tired of tearing up whatever roots he has and flying to the other side of Europe. Tired of his father dodging questions about his missing family. Tired of being trapped in his own house, and tired of having to pretend everything is okay. What he's tired of most, however, is being yanked back by the hair every time he gets close to someone who doesn't promise to further his career. <br/>Plagg says he can free him of this. Plagg says he can open the door to Adrien's gilded cage, but with a price. A price every fiber of his being is telling him isn't worth it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Preface

**Author's Note:**

> I said I'd write it. Thanks, Twitter.

I was a child. There are a lot of things children want, toys and games and a bed with a slide.

 

I wanted friends. I wanted the presence of my father and to live in one place longer than a year. I wanted to have a real assigned seat in class, and a nametag above my cubby that was more than a stickey note. I wanted sleepovers and playmates, I wanted- no, I _needed_ a break. 

 

I _needed_ my parents. 

 

I had my brother, Felix, at least. He was brash and sarcastic, at best, but he loved me and cared more than my father did. I used to debate the word 'love' when Felix was invoved. It felt more like tolerance. As I grew older I realized that tolerance was poorly communicated love, from a child who didn't know how to express it any better than I could have at the time. 

 

He disappeared when I was nine. I blamed myself for not being enough to keep him here. My father blamed himself for not being enough to keep him from hating himself. 

 

It wasn't Felix's fault. We could see the damage wearing him down as the years went by, he was always frowning. He'd stare out into the world with such disapproval and lonliness it was frightening. We saw it coming, but...

 

The chair he sat in had never been moved. Not until the moment we left for good. When we me moved, as we always did, we packed our things knowing he wouldn't be with us. We drove away knowing we were leaving him behind. 

 

We had tried to find him, of course. After a month my parents started fighting. After three. My father was not only cold in absence, but cold in his presence as well. After six, my mother vanished.

 

Paris. 

 

The city of light and love had become so bleak and monochomatic at that instant it dawned on me that I was now completely and utterly alone. I tried to speak to someone, anyone who would listen. 

 

"I know people who have it worse than you."

 

"You still live in a mansion."

 

"Buy an XBox or something to keep yourself busy." 

 

"You don't realize how lucky you are."

 

We moved again. 

 

Another beautiful city, another house, another school. More people who would pretend to like me for my money or pretty eyes or big house. 

 

I had known Plagg for quite some time by then. He showed up when I was very little, a small thing who ate all of my snacks and played simple games with me. I didn't feel threatened by him at all, not at that moment. I wished for a friend, and Plagg showed up. I was delighted. 

 

The day I turned ten, he asked me one question: What do you want?

 

It was the first I had heard him speak, and he did not repeat himself, though I asked.

 

I thought about what I wanted, staring at the growing pile of lifeless toys given to fill the hole my family should have filled. 

 

"I want to be happy." I answered. 

 


	2. When to Give In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien really needs a hug. It's only going downhill from here, folks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: abuse, suicide attempt implication
> 
> I really like the idea of Adrien sort of repairing himself through Chat Noir, in terms of self confidence and mental health. He didn't just strap in and become the suave punmaster we know and love.

Adrien was watching the TV, as he usually did after a workout. He hadn't sat down, his legs too sore for comfort. Taking a run after leaving the gym was his idea, and an excuse to see Geneva up close. They had moved to Switzerland almost two weeks ago, and he had barely a chance to leave the house since then. Plagg had been trying to convince him to turn around and head back the entire time, which only made Adrien want to run farther away. He should have listened. He should have known that being the new and baby-faced model running around a city he didn't know was a bad idea. He ran right into a horde of teenage girls, though their mothers scared him more than the daughters. He hadn't run so fast before in his life, and now he was paying for it. He decided on standing, walking in place with little to no enthusiasm to stretch his muscles.  
"Adrien."  
He turned his head to look at Nathalie and smiled. "Hello! Am I needed for anything?"  
"Your father will be home in fifteen minutes. I thought you'd like the heads up."  
Adrien was surprised by the warning, and stopped walking. "Am I in trouble?"  
"No, of course not!" She frowned. "I just thought...if you wanted to change, or had something to ask him. I don't know. Don't look into it too much."  
_A random act of kindness. She was looking out for me._  
Adrien turned to face her and thanked her politely, earning a smile from the usually monotone assistant.  
"It's no problem, Adrien."  
He jogged up the stairs, groaning at the discomfort in his legs, and hurried in and out of the shower. He slid down the banister, damp feet hit the floor just as his father walked inside.  
"Adrien _Agreste_."  
"I know, I wanted to meet you as _soon_ as you came in!"  
His father narrowed his eyes. "You could have taken a _very_ serious fall."  
"And get bruised before the big show?" Adrien smiled weakly. "I wouldn't do that to you, Father."  
Gabriel's frown deepened. "That isn't what-." He turned his head, eyes squeezed shut, and sighed. He held a hand up to stop Adrien from saying anything else.  
There was a prolonged silence that hung heavily in the air, thick enough to cut through. Adrien cleared his throat and rocked back and forth on his heels. "I got a new video game."  
No reaction.  
"It's Pac Man! Your generation." Adrien gave his father a cheeky smile. "If you have time, maybe we can-"  
"Adrien you _know_   I'm busy."  
His face fell, and he dropped his gaze, nodding once in understanding. "Yes, sir."  
"Have you finished your homework?" He sighed.  
"Yes, sir."  
"Is your room tidy?"  
"Yes, sir."  
There was another moment of silence, coating the black and white walls in an ugly discomfort.  
"Nathalie, move my three-thirty to five."  
Adrien's head snapped up, his eyes wide as saucers.  
He looked at Nathalie, who was just as shocked as Adrien was. "Yes sir."  
Adrien looked back at his father, who was still just as cold-faced and serious as always, and watched in pure disbelief as he turned and walked to the couch, sitting down and taking one of the controllers from the coffee table. "I expect you to set this up."  
Adrien made a mad dash for the couch, ignoring the ache in his legs, quickly he set up the console and sat down, staring ahead anxiously.  
"So, how was work?" He asked.  
"Busy." Gabriel answered simply. He looked awkward, out of his element. "How was school?"  
"It's Saturday." Adrien noted with a small chuckle.  
Gabriel nodded, looking bored suddenly. "Time flies."  
"It's nice to hang out with you." Adrien said quickly. "Thank you."  
He nodded once in silence.  
The game finally loaded and Adrien gave his father brief instruction on the controls. Adrien's heart was pounding, sitting this close to father and playing a game, just the two of them, bonding- like a normal family.  
Nathalie came into the living room, sadness etched into her features. "You have a call, Mr Agreste. Ms. Donatella."  
Just as quickly as Adrien's heart had swollen with happiness, it pulled from his chest, leaving him empty and hurt and _angry_.  
Gabriel stood, not a word passed between them as he left the room and headed back into his office.  
Adrien stared at the controller his father left behind, the game unpaused. He was almost in shock, unblinking at the space where his father was.  
"Adrien," Nathalie started. "I'm sorry I had to-"  
He stood up and left the living room, tears stinging his eyes. "I'm going to bed."  
"Adrien,"  
"Good night."  
Adrien wasn't one to cry, crying was a sign of weakness. He got frustrated, he got angry and irrational when passionate, but he didn't cry.  
He glared his reflection in the mirror of the bathroom connected to his bedroom, and lowly under his breath demanded the reflection to get a grip and suck it up.  
Plagg was sitting on the lid of the toilet, tearing up the toilet paper as usual. "Rough day in paradise?"  
"Shut up." Adrien grumbled. He wiped his eyes and left, flopping down on his bed.  
"You left the bathroom a mess." Plagg floated around for a bit before sitting on the pillow next to me. "In a rush to get out?"  
"Leave me _alone_ , Plagg."  
"You know I can't do that."  
Adrien sniffed and turned his head towards the small creature. "Why not? It's not like you care."  
"True." Plagg smiled. "To a degree."  
"No you don't."  
"You wanting a friend isn't what brought me here, you know. I chose you."  
"You can bug someone else." Adrien reasoned. "Find another rich kid to feed you."  
"All the tragic rich kids have been claimed, sadly." Plagg sighed, "That's not why I chose you, though."  
Adrien was still angry, feeling almost like a child. If he wasn't so well trained he might have broken or thrown something.  
"I've mentioned the deal I have for you."  
"I don't want it."  
"What eleven year old doesn't want to be a _hero_?"  
"This one." He replied defiantly.  
"Don't you want to know the terms? The conditions?"  
"Not interested." Adrien decided to ignore Plagg from that moment onward. He would get tired of convincing Adrien at some point, he was sure of it.   
He was wrong.  
Adrien counted fifteen minutes on the analog clock next to the bed that Plagg was rambling about abilities and prophecies.  
"What's it gonna take for you to leave me alone?"  
"Say yes."  
"And then what? Where will you go?"  
"I won't _leave_ you," Plagg explained. "But while you're transformed I'll be hidden."  
Adrien closed his eyes again, thinking of something calm to get him to fall asleep. Plagg kept talking.  
"How about a test run, then? No contracts, just a trial."  
This had caught Adrien's attention. "No contract?"  
Plagg gave him a Cheshire grin. "No contract. I'll show you the ropes and full extent of your abilities, and when you've realized how cool you'll be, you'll accept."  
"I doubt it." Adrien snorted. "But if you promise this isn't a trap-"  
"Promise!"  
"Fine. What do I do?"  
"I suggest you go to the bathroom, or you'll piss your pants when you see your cool new battle outfit!"  
Adrien sat up and groaned. "Whatever, just do it so I can go to bed."  
Plagg had Adrien stand in the middle of the room and hold out his hand. "This may hurt a bit."  
"How much is _a bit_?" Adrien's hand snapped back, safe from Plagg's tiny grip.  
"A pinch! I can't bind myself to any personal item without contract, so I'll have to...possess you. More or less."  
"Nope. I change my mind."  
"I don't have the power to influence you, Adrien. If I did you would have made a contract with me years ago."  
Adrien debated the pros and cons for awhile before holding out his hand again. "You have till dawn."  
"Yes sir!"

 

-

 

It took almost three hours for Adrien to leave his room. He was terrified of his suit, which seemed way too risqué for his tastes, and then the possibility of falling from his window.  
"It's a **kinksuit**!"  
"It is not a kinksuit." Plagg's voice snapped in the back of his mind. "It's a battle-"  
"It's a _kink.suit_. Plagg. Oh my God I feel dirty! Take it off!"  
"Adrien I'm telling you, it's a battle suit. This thing is nearly indestructible!"  
Adrien tapped the bell under his chin and cringed. "What the hell is this for?!"  
"Laughs, mostly. You know, cats and bells, it was a design choice."  
"Well get rid of it!"  
"No! It's cute!"  
"It's- It's-" Adrien looked at his face in abject horror. "Are those _real_ ears?!"  
"For the most part."  
Adrien pulled his hair back, which had also grown longer in his transformation, and gawked. "I still have my human ears! These function like ears too-" He tugged on the black cat ears sticking up through his hair and winced. "I have four ears!"  
"Adrien, you need to chill."  
"No! I need to sit down and reevaluate my life choices, that's what I need to do."  
"Everyone reacts this way."  
Adrien turned to walk towards his bed and caught glimpse of his lower half in the mirror. "Jesus Christ."  
"It looks good on you!"  
"It's a kinksuit. What is this? Leather? Silicone?"  
"Boyfriend material."  
"Plagg I'm serious. Does every 'hero' in Geneva wear a kinksuit?"  
"Pretty much, yeah. Doesn't it make you feel confident, though? All of your muscles defined?"  
"I feel naked."  
"You look good naked, though. I mean, maybe you do, hell if I know. Humans look weird to me."  
Adrien straightened up and looked himself over. He was almost unrecognizable, with his hair this long and his eyes in cat-like slits. He stepped closer to examine his eyes and mask. He touched the edge. "Is this thing _fused_ to my face?"  
"It's magic. It'd suck if you were unmasked during a fight."  
"Who would I be fighting, exactly?"  
"Akuma."  
Adrien repeated the word a few times, feeling the weight of the strange word in his mouth. "Sounds weird, but...familiar?"  
"That's the purpose of holding a Miraculous. Fight akuma, keep the world safe."  
Adrien scoffed at the use of the word miraculous. "That's part of your contract?"  
"Your end of it, yeah."  
"So what's yours?"  
"I grant any one wish you have."  
Adrien's eyes widened, curious and impressed by Plagg's power. "Any?"  
"Any." Plagg's voice was smooth, it clung to the insides of Adrien's head like glue, filling all the empty space his logical thoughts were supposed to occupy. "No limits."  
Adrien narrowed his eyes, shaking the voice out of his head. "Still not interested."  
"Jump out that window and we'll see later on."  
"I don't want to _die_ , Plagg."  
"But you want to disappear, right? This is your chance! You can be a whole new person, no one will recognize you."  
_True_.  
"Is there a safer way down?"  
"You could sneak out the front door."  
"With my father down there? I asked for a safe way out, not a suicide mission."  
"Out the window it is. There's a roof right across the way, you can jump forward, not down."  
Adrien nodded once and walked to the window, feeling awkward as the material clung to his legs. "Okay...This is probably the weirdest thing I've ever done."  
"You've done weirder things?"  
"Good point. _This_ is the weirdest thing I've ever done."  
Adrien stood on the edge of the window, eyeballing the distance between the roof and his feet.  
_I can make it._  
He couldn't remember what had happened the last time he stood in this spot. It felt just as terrifying, but somehow the weight of consequence this time wasn't as heavy.  
"Jump, Adrien."  
He did.  
He landed on the roof across from him with surprising ease, making only a tiny noise. He stood and looked back at the window. "Should I close it?"  
"You'll be fine. Hurry up, go explore!"  
Adrien didn't need to be told twice. He was already running, jumping between rooftops with ease. He laughed as he made a mad sprint for the tallest building in sight.  
"You can climb the Eiffel Tower now, if we ever go back home, just by jumping between the beams!" Plagg noted, the voice a bit louder to be heard over Adrien's laughter.   
The idea was tempting, but the thought of falling made it vanish as quickly as it had come. He thought it was odd that he called Paris home, but dismissed it.  
He tore his eyes away from the dark skyline and watched his legs. Running in this suit felt so much easier than running in normal clothes, and although he knew it was hugging every curve- he didn't feel confined.   
He took a risk, jumping from one corner of the roof to the other side of the street.  
"Duck and roll!" Plagg shouted, the sound scaring the shit out of his chosen. He rolled onto his back and lie down for a bit, staring at the sky and catching his breath.  
"That was dangerous, you don't know what you're doing!"  
"That was fun!" Adrien laughed.  
"Are you okay?"  
Adrien sat up, coming face to face with a strange woman. She looked about his age, with wide brown eyes and pale blue skin.   
He jumped and crawled backwards, the girl straightened up, hands on her hips, and stared at him.   
She asked him something in another language and smiled.   
Adrien wasn't sure what to make of the woman. She was blue, all of her was blue- her skirt seemed to be made of clouds, which mesmerized him. He noticed the black ballet flats she was wearing, and more noticeably the stark white hair, which fell to her waist.   
"What are you?" He asked mindlessly.   
"Oh! You speak French." Her smile softened.   
He nodded once.   
"Any German?"  
Adrien shook his head.   
She pouted. "My French isn't the best, so bear with me." She held a hand out to him and smiled again. "Whirlwind. You can call me Windy."  
Adrien nodded and took her hand, standing and brushing himself off. "I'm..."  
"Chat Noir." Plagg prompted quietly.   
"Chat Noir." Adrien raised a brow at Plagg's voice. "That's what we're going with."  
Windy laughed and shook his hand before letting go. "Pleasure to meet you, Chat Noir."  
"Likewise, Windy." He grinned. "So you're one of the...what're they called" He asked Plagg out loud.   
"I don't think there's an official name for us." She laughed. "I prefer hero."  
He liked the sound of that.   
"I can tell you're new with this. Wanna patrol with me?"  
Adrien nodded once and walked with her across the rooftop.   
"How long have you been here?" She asked him.   
"Be vague." Plagg instructed.   
"Not long."   
She nodded. "I've been here my whole life. Never left this city."  
"Lucky." Adrien frowned.   
"If you say so." Windy shrugged. "What's your power?"  
He blinked at her and she sighed. "You're _really_ new at this."  
He laughed weakly and shrugged. "What can you do?"  
She motioned to her skirt with a raised brow. "Weather stuff."  
"Like Storm."  
She nodded once and smiled. "I guess so, yeah."  
She wasn't wearing a kink suit, which he was pretty jealous of, but half of it was pretty form fitting. He took a moment to look at the material, wondering what it was.   
"See something you like, Chat?"   
"Huh? Sorry, I was...I'm curious. That's a real cloud?"  
She nodded and stuck her hand through it for effect.   
"What if the wind blows?"  
"It's a bit more stable than that." She laughed.   
Even in the gentle breeze it was changing shape, just like a real cloud would otherwise. "That's amazing."  
"Wanna see something cooler?"  
He met her eyes and nodded.   
"Say something mean."  
"Mean?"  
"Yeah. Make me mad."  
Adrien frowned and straightened up. "Um...you're...weird."  
She crossed her arms. "Is that the best you can do?"  
He thought about something mean, something to say that would hurt her feelings. He hadn't been mean to anyone before. Not on purpose.   
"You're a waste of my time. You aren't worth taking time out of my day to acknowledge. " He said, channeling his inner Gabriel.  
This seemed to catch Windy off guard, as her shoulders drooped a little.   
"Your hair is flat and you could stand to hit the gym. Aren't you taking any of the advice people give you? Maybe you should stop eating. I don't know how you can stand looking like that in public."  
She held a hand out to him and frowned, her eyebrows raised in concern. "Whoa there, okay I get it. Jesus, Chat."  
"Sorry."  
He noticed the cloud around her waist had darkened, becoming a deep, inky blue. "It changed."  
"That's the saddest thing I've ever heard." She murmured.  
"You told me to offend you." He defended.   
"Yeah, but damn. I know that face. You weren't saying that to hurt me, you were repeating what you've heard."  
"Was not!"  
She crossed her arms, more as a form of self comfort than defense. "You don't have to give me your whole life story, Chat, just know that...I'm sorry you have to deal with that."  
He felt so defenseless in that moment, with pity pouring from her wide irises, watching his every move. "Don't be."  
She nodded once. "It changes with my emotions." She explained.   
He looked back at her skirt. "So I made you sad. I'm sorry."  
"You apologize a lot, Chat Noir." She smiled slightly. "How about we finish this patrol and I'll help you figure out your powers."  
"I appreciate it."  
They wandered for what must've been two hours before seeing someone on the street below.   
"Oh! Perfect, look a this."  
Adrien stared at the civilian below them. "What?"  
"They look scared, we should check it out. Maybe something's wrong."  
Adrien nodded and jumped down to get a better view. The person screamed when she saw him, and backed away quickly, holding her purse to her chest. He straightened up and spoke quickly. "No! Don't worry, I won't hurt you!"  
Windy got to the sidewalk next to him, or rather, floated. She hovered in the air and spoke German to the woman, calming her down.   
He had no idea what she was saying, so he waited next to her, arms straight to his sides.   
"No one here knows you yet." Windy explained. "She thought you were going to mug her. If you will, a-" Her face changed, a smug smile, " _cat_ burglar."  
Adrien laughed at the pun and smiled at the woman. "I'm sorry I scared you."  
Windy translated for him, and the woman nodded, giving him a wary half-glare. She said something that made Windy laugh.   
"She wants to know why you're wearing a kink suit."  
"That's what-" Adrien fumed, crossing his arms. Part of Windy's cloud hovered towards him, covering his lower half like a towel.   
"Better?" She snickered.   
He stuck his tongue out at her.   
The woman was anxious, as they thought, because she felt she was being followed home from work.   
They escorted her home and Adrien apologized once more before leaving her for the night. As they were walking Adrien absentmindedly put his hands onto his hips, and realized at that moment that he had some sort of staff attached to his belt.   
"What's this th-" He pushed a small button on the side and it extended, one end crashed into the roof, nearly spearing his foot, the other, which he was holding onto, shot into the air, throwing him over the building they were standing on and onto the roof three houses down.   
He was still shaking when Windy rushed to his side. "Are you okay?!"  
"Oh God I'm gonna puke!" Adrien shook, kicking away the now shortened staff. "What the hell was that?!"  
"That's your melee weapon, I guess. Did you hurt anything?"  
Plagg was having a field day, laughing his tiny ass off in the back of Adrien's head. "No. No I'm fine."  
"Good." She took the staff and pushed another button. "Yeah, this works as a communicator, too." She started pushing more buttons, and held it up, making a peace sign and smiling as if taking a picture of herself. "And it's got a front camera, sweet." She handed it back to him. "My information is in there. You can contact me if you ever need help."  
He nodded once and turned it around in his hands. "What do these buttons do?"  
"This one extends it." she chuckled. "You already know that. This one opens your communicator."  
He nodded once and looked at the sky behind them. "How long till dawn?"  
"Is that when your magic runs out, Cinderella?"   
"Yeah."  
This surprised her. "Well, we've got maybe an hour. We should head back now, make a run for it."  
"I'll find my way back. Thank you for everything, Windy."  
"No problem." She smirked again. " _Purr_ oblem."  
He laughed and stood up. "Nice."  
"Pawsome?"  
"Purriffic."  
She laughed and waved him off. "See you next time, Chat."  
He nodded and took off back towards home.   
  


-

 

"That was fun, wasn't it?" Plagg asked.   
"Shut it."  
"Wanna take the contract?"  
"No."  
He jumped onto the roof closest to his window and then to the window sill. He detransformed and sighed comfortably, he looked around the room for a moment before picking up on a faint noise outside his room.   
"It's almost five in the morning..." He whispered. Who would be talking right outside of his door?  
He opened the door and stuck his head out, surprised to see his father and three police officers standing in his hallway.   
"What's going on?"  
"Where were you?!" His Father barked, furious. Adrien had never been yelled at, not once, not by his father. "Where did you go?!"  
"I was sleeping." Adrien lied.   
" **Bullshit** , Adrien Agreste don't you _dare_ lie to me!" He took Adrien by the shoulders and shook him roughly, fingers digging into his skin.   
"Stop, you're hurting me!"  
"Sir, let him go-"  
He pushed Adrien back and further into his room, the wind was picking up, and it sent a chill down Adrien's spine. "Where did you go?!"  
"Nowhere!"  
Gabriel took one look at the open window and went white as a sheet. "Adrien."  
"Father I-"  
Gabriel's eyes snapped to Adrien's with such ferocity it felt as though the air from his lungs had been sucked out of him. His jaw hung motionless as he froze mid sentence. "We've been in this boat before, Adrien."  
"It's not like tha-"   
Gabriel held one hand up and looked away. "Thank you for your help." He spoke to the officers. "Things are okay now. I'm sorry to have wasted your time."  
The officers nodded and stared sadly at Adrien from over Gabriel's shoulder. "It's no problem at all, sir."  
They left and the two Agreste's stood in tense silence.   
Adrien didn't cry. Crying was a sign of weakness. He got frustrated, he got angry and irrational when passionate, but he didn't cry.  
The moment Adrien opened his mouth to speak Gabriel slapped him. The whole left side of his face went numb, but it still sung like a bee sting. He stumbled backwards onto the floor from the sheer force of the blow, and stared blankly at the floor as his father turned away, leaving and slamming the door behind him.   
Plagg came from hiding and sat on Adrien's bent knee in silence.   
He could let Plagg free him from this. Why hadn't he agreed? What was he so afraid of? He lifted his gaze to the kwami and met Plagg's expectant eyes. "So, about that contract." he grinned.

 


	3. Part of the Machine

He didn't know where he was, what he was doing- if he as doing anything at all. He was walking someplace dark, with some kind of fabric pulled around his shoulders. He was walking with someone close next to him, who was at least a head shorter than he was. He could hear fireworks somewhere far off behind him, and it drowned the world around him in a fiery red hue before it quickly faded back to the murky blues the night had dyed it.  
"Are you still with me?" A he asked.  
The person next to him spoke, a soft tone, but thick with apprehension. "Always."  
He didn't look back at the person next to him, not as they walked, not as he offered a hand for the stranger to climb onto their horse, not even as they rode to wherever their task took them.  
It wasn't until they had stopped moving that the stranger looked up, porcelain skin standing out against the dark fabric around it. "You _can_ go back on this."  
Adrien wasn't sure if this person was male or female, he decided it didn't matter. "Yes you can."  
"I told you I'm with you in this until the end."  
"You don't have to get tangled up in this." He got down from his horse and walked to he side of his companion. Their fingers tightly wrapped round the reins of the horse. "I know you don't want to."  
The stranger got down from their horse, ignoring the hand he had offered to assist them. "I already _told you_ -"  
"Understood, My Lady. Just making certain."  
She pulled back her hood and stared upwards. Her hair was half up, messy from her hasty retreat, and the decorations that had been pinned there were uneven now. Her skin was illuminated by the light of the moon, and it gave her deep blue eyes a glossy overtone. She was beautiful.  
Even in this form, without the perfectly applied makeup, hair pinned back and up, sculpted like clay into unmoving braids. She was still standing with perfect posture, hands clasped politely at her stomach, as she was taught, but that fierce light in her eyes was ever present. She was strong and courageous and independent- and waiting for a sign.  
"My Lady?"  
She narrowed her eyes and put moved to pull his hood down. "Cat. We _can_ go back on this."  
"It's the only way to make sure."  
She searched his eyes for a while before sighing and turning away. "We leave our horses here and continue on foot."  
"And if we're spotted?"  
"We lie, as we _have been_." She called back to him. "Keep up appearances."  
He walked after her, watching as she took off her cloak and tossed it back to him. "If we're going through with this, we'll do it as if it were any other mission."  
He caught her cloak and held it over his arm, keeping up with her easily. "And then what? After this is over, will I finally get to know your name?"  
"Absolutely not." She smiled. "We end this, we go somewhere safe from this...what did your kwami call it?"  
Adrien frowned. "Black Death."  
"Right. We escape this _Black Death_ and then I'll answer any questions you have."  
He pulled his glove away with his other hand, exposing the silver ring to the night light. "We're close."  
"Good. The sooner we do this, the sooner we finish."

-

  
"Adrien. Adrien wake up."  
There was a firm weight on his chest that snapped him into consciousness. Nathalie was standing over him with an oddly concerned expression.  
"What? What time is it?" He sat up and rubbed his eyes.  
"It's only seven-thirty. Your father told me about last night, and I've been instructed to stay with you as you go through your photoshoots today."  
He groaned and pushed the covers away, Nathalie stepped back, fixing her glasses. "I'll see you downstairs for breakfast."  
"Thanks."  
As soon as she left Plagg came out from hiding. He flew around Adrien twice before heading straight for the bathroom. "Quite the shiner you've got there, champ!" He called. Adrien yawned and followed, stretching as he walked into the bathroom. "Give me a minute?"  
Plagg whizzed past him. "Hurry up! I'm starving!"  
Adrien frowned when he saw his face, a definite hand shaped bruise stuck out against his olive skin. " _Gosh_." He showered, brushed his teeth, and got dressed, hastily making his bed before running down the stairs.  
"Alright, I don't mean to be over dramatic or anything, but I need food right now or I'm going to die."  
Nathalie scoffed as she walked past him. "You know where the table is."  
He didn't hesitate, sitting down in front of his plate and digging in.  
"How old are you, Adrien?"  
He looked up and swallowed his eggs. "Eleven. Did you really forget?"  
"No, I just didn't believe it for a moment. You're getting so tall."  
He grinned at the assistant and straightened up. "Really?"  
She wasn't smiling, but her face didn't have the usual 'I'm serious because I'm working' tone. "Yes. How do you feel?"  
"Taller, now." He grinned.  
"About yesterday."  
His smile vanished.  
"Are you alright?"  
"I'm fine."  
"You went out through the window."  
"I sat on the roof." He lied. "To relax a bit, see the city."  
"You could have taken a walk."  
"I didn't want to deal with people."  
She sighed and touched the hair on the back of her neck. "Alright, Adrien. I understand."  
"Do you? I mean, adults say that all the time. Sometimes they don't mean it."  
" _I_ do. Your father cares as well. More than he lets off."  
Adrien scoffed and scooped more of the scrambled eggs into his mouth. "If he cared he wouldn't have hit me as soon as I tried to explain myself."  
Nathalie sighed, and after another moment of silence, reminded him about the photoshoot.   
Adrien finished eating and gathered his dishes. He knew he didn't have to clean them, or even take them to the kitchen, but he did so anyway, just for something to do.   
"Do you think we'll live here forever?" Plagg whispered from Adrien's inner pocket.   
"I don't know." Adrien replied softly.   
"Do you care?"  
Adrien didn't respond, not because he didn't want to answer, but because he didn't have one. He liked Paris. He liked the house where his mother and Felix used to be, he liked the memories of running through the house and all over the front yard, throwing toys over the tall fence just for an excuse to climb over them. He liked the smell of bread and fresh air that hung in the air and the loud chirping of crickets that always kept Felix awake during the summer. He didn't have one sour memory of the kitchen, with the granite countertops too cold for his exposed legs when his mother sat him on its surface to bandage his scraped knees. The cookie dough spread over the flour coated island, and the watchful eye of his brother not yet watchful _enough_ to keep him from unloading three bottles of sprinkles over the first batch.   
And yet.   
That house was empty now. His father still owned it, in case they needed to go back for business. He thought about how it must look.   
Would the paint on the fence still be there? Or had it chipped away after the rain? Was the grass he and his family had once played games in as dead as his father's desire to return to it? He knew his mother wouldn't be there, he knew Felix wouldn't be there, either. He knew this with every fiber of his being and every cell in his body and yet-  
How desperately he wanted them to be waiting for him.   
He wanted to go home.   
Home.   
He hadn't called anyplace home before- not while meaning it. Home for him was Paris, with or without the memories. It was familiar. It was all-  
"Adrien?"  
He turned his head and faced Nathalie, who looked just as concerned as she had been when she woke him up. "What?"  
"You're crying."  
He wiped at his eyes quickly. "My eyes are just watering."  
She didn't speak, not for what must've been a solid two minutes. "The limo is waiting outside for you."  
Adrien hurried past her, pulling his outer shirt around himself to hide Plagg.   
"Adrien."  
He stopped just before the door and turned to look at her. "Yeah?"  
"He's not going to be there. Just so you know."  
He wouldn't have admitted it, but he was relieved to hear that. He nodded once and headed out, closing the door behind him and hurrying into the car.   
Nathalie was quick to follow, and sat on the side farthest from him, straight backed and silent.   
Adrien took out his phone and scrolled through Twitter for a while, trying to ignore his reflection in the darker parts of the screen. His bruise was pretty bad, and his eyes tinted pink. He looked like crap.   
"They'll cover that up before your shoot, of course." Nathalie noted. Adrien clicked his phone off and looked out the window, ignoring her. "I'm sorry that happened."  
"You didn't do anything."  
"That doesn't mean I can't sympathize."  
He glared at the trees as they drove, people's intrigued stares that weren't looking directly at him.   
He hated all of them.   
He hated how happy everyone was to see him, he knew that if he looked any different they wouldn't give him the time of day. He hated how people pretended to care because they wanted to get on his father's good side. He hated how fake and selfish everyone was. They asked what he was wearing, who he was dating, how much he got paid for jobs- but never about his school, his intellect- not once did anyone really care enough to ask if he was really okay. Nathalie was the only exception, and he wasn't even sure if she really cared or if she was just relaying information to his father. They got to the set of the photoshoot, a large water fountain next to an even bigger park. There were tents set up around the area, and paparazzi.   
Of course.   
He knew what to do. He had been trained to deal with this for as long as he could remember, but this time-  
"Put this on." Nathalie handed him a disposable hospital mask. He pulled the cords around his ears without a word and got out of the car.   
Nathalie was quick to his side, despite the initial distance between them, and suddenly they were surrounded. He kept his head and eyes tilted downwards, hands flat against his sides, and spoke not a word.   
He listened.   
Every question could have been answered by his father, hell- by the _website_ designed for his father. _Why are they wasting their time asking me?  
_ He ducked into one of the tents and pulled the mask off. "Can you cover this?"  
Right away Ette, his father's personal favorite makeup artist, ran to him. She put her hands on either side of his face, examining the bruise. "What 'appened to you?" She gasped, her English accent seemed harsher in the angry tone of her voice.   
"Dispute."  
"With who? The Incredible Hulk?" She turned her back to him and dug through a bag for her smaller makeup pouch. "Do you have any other bruises?"  
He shook his head, wincing as she slathered concealer onto his cheek.   
"I know it feels gross, but bear with me." She seemed intensely focused. "You aren't going to tell me where you got this, are you?"  
He shook his head.   
"So be it. As long as it wasn't who I think it was."  
He raised a brow and watched her expression melt from concern to anger, and then into fury. Her dark skin only got darker as she kept applying makeup, frustration clear as her brows, colored a bright blue to match her hair, furrowed together. "This..." She sighed and left him again, going into another bag.   
"Is it that bad?" Adrien asked.   
" _Yes_." she stood up with another makeup bag and returned to him. "Some areas are more severe than others, so it's odd to conceal."  
"You like challenges."  
"I'm very concerned, Adrien."  
His eyes widened. "I'm alright, though."  
"Maybe they can photoshop it." She frowned.   
_Oh_.  
"I'm concerned for you, too, Adrien." She pushed his shoulder lightly. "I didn't think that needed to be addressed."  
Because I'm an asset.   
He was powdered and released into the park to be posed and photographed.   
_It didn't take too long._   
Five hours had passed, and his stomach was doing its best whale impression. He didn't complain about food. He knew everyone working here was hungry, and it'd be rude to eat in front of them.   
Before long he was getting back into the car, driving off towards yet another adventure.   
He groaned as he buckled in, ignoring the poke of Plagg settling under his shirt. He took out his phone again.   
No one spoke.   
He thought about the strange dream he had this morning, and opened his notepad app.   
He started typing what he could remember, wishing he had done it sooner, as the images were already fading.   
He didn't get back to the house until eight-thirty. Thirteen hours since his last meal- it took everything in him not to sprint straight to the kitchen. His father was in the office, he could tell by the light and clicking of the keyboard.   
He walked straight past the door, glad someone had managed to conceal the bruise (after what must've been twenty minutes) to near invisibility.   
He half expected his father to stop him, but there was nothing. Adrien handed Plagg some cheese from the pantry and grabbed a roll from the counter.   
He was walking back when his father stopped him. "Don't eat that."  
"What?"  
Gabriel lifted his eyes to look at his son. "Bread. It'll go straight to your thighs, Adrien."  
The boy glared, but complied, putting it back in it's bowl on the counter. He left with an apple.   
"Where are you going?"  
"Outside. Just to the front door."  
"No father."  
He did as he said he would, standing on the outside with his back pressed against the sun warmed wood of the door.   
"I hate him."  
He took one step from the door, looked back, and then took another.   
He was standing with his back to the world around him, facing the door he knew he'd have to return to. That barrier he hated so much. That father that made him feel disgusting.   
In a fit of rage he spun around and threw the apple like a baseball, almost hitting a curious and poorly placed Windy.   
"Whoa!"  
"Sorry!" Adrien shouted.   
Windy sank to the ground, she bent to pick up the apple and brushed it off on her top. "Don't worry about it."  
"I shouldn't have- did I hit you?"  
"Nope." She smiled and walked towards Adrien, with a wave of her hand a small cloud appeared, and began to rain over the fruit. "I don't know how you are about the five second rule-" She laughed, handing the apple over to him. "It's pretty clean I guess."  
"Thank you." He took the apple and held it to his chest. "Again, I'm so sorry. I didn't know you were there. Why _are_ you here?"  
"I was doing a patrol." She shrugged. "I followed a suspicious clue and here you were. You looked really, _really_ sad. And pretty beat up, no offense."  
Adrien touched his cheek gingerly. "It came off?"  
"A bit, yeah. Who did that?"  
"No one."  
She narrowed her eyes. "I haven't seen you before, so you might not know about things, but I'm kind of a hero here. It's my job to rescue people."  
"I don't need to be rescued."  
"It doesn't look that way." She motioned to a small gathering of butterflies that had been swarming around the short bushes at the front of the gate.   
"Butterflies?"  
"Akuma."  
His eyes widened a bit. "What does that mean?"  
"They're attracted to negative energy, and turn people into monsters."  
Plagg mentioned that. My side of the deal was to purify them.   
"I brought them here?"  
She nodded once. "I believe so. I just don't know why they haven't gotten to you yet. Or why there are so many."  
"How do I get rid of them?"  
"You don't. I do."  
He nodded and stared at the akuma. There was a deep flash of cold that shook him, making him roll his shoulders to rid of the sensation on his back. "That's creepy."  
"Whatever issue you have, I suggest you speak with someone about it. Clearly makeup isn't fixing it."  
Adrien didn't respond, wishing it were that easy. He turned the apple in his hands and waited for her to say anything else.   
"You know, you apologize a lot."   
His head shot up, and he stared between her eyes carefully.   
"Did you get in trouble for last night? Is that what that's from?"  
"You recognized me?"  
"Of course. Your personality is exactly the same." She grinned. "I'm not blind, either."  
"I should get inside. I need to sleep."  
Her smile vanished. "I'm sorry."  
"Now who's apologizing?" He tried to smile, but his face was still sore from the night before.   
His smile didn't warm her, any, and she started to move, her feet lifting from the ground slowly. "I will rescue you. If need be."  
"I know."  
She was quick to head off, dropped down on the other side of the gate and crouch next to the gathering of butterflies.   
Adrien turned and hurried inside, heading straight to his room.   
As soon as he got in he was met with a blocked off and barred window.   
Angrily he took a bite from his apple and threw it in the trash can next to his desk. He was done with today, he was done with his father and Geneva and modeling-   
He stripped and turned on the shower, as hot as he could handle he scrubbed the feeling of dread and gunky makeup away, washing everything down the drain. He cleaned up and went straight to his bed, Plagg followed.   
"You could easily break those bars as Chat Noir."  
"And leave evidence?"  
"You considered it?"  
Adrien didn't speak.   
"You could run away."  
"And then what?"  
"Never come back."  
"Like my mom and Felix? I can't do that to him."  
"Would you? If they were still here."  
"No." I couldn't leave Felix behind.   
_Even though he left me._   
He tucked his face into his covers and glared, angry tears pricking at his eyes. "I wouldn't."  
  
  
  
  
  
 


	4. What This Makes Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, as of right now (in this fic), Adrien is thirteen years old. I'm assuming he is sixteen during the events of ML, and since that takes place in 2016- the year, currently, in this fic, is 2013. Just clearing that up now for some of you who may be confused about things going on. It feels like so long ago, but that's the year Frozen came out!

He had the dream again.  
He was somewhere with that woman, walking along the uneven roads to an unknown destination. They were speaking about something clearly serious in nature, which thickened the already uncomfortable air between them. He spoke softly, to no one in particular, and watched as his hand turned black. He almost felt the air move towards his outstretched hand, like a black hole. He touched something close to him, watching as the black from his hand shot outwards, splintering in all directions like a spiderweb. There was a bolt of electricity that shot through him, starting from his fingertips and flew through his veins, freezing his blood and his feet in place. It felt like a tsunami of icewater hitting his back, sucking the air out of his lungs. He bolted upright in his bed, Plagg soaring from his spot on Adrien's chest in horror as if he had been fired from a catapult.  
Plagg barely escaped hitting the floor before hovering upwards, and quickly he sped back to Adrien, flying circles angrily around his head like an angry bee.  
Adrien ignored him, his hand over his chest. His heart was racing, eyes wide, his brain stumbling to keep up with his panicked thoughts.  
"Plagg, do the thing."  
"The thing?"  
"Transfo-"  
" _Whoa_ _there_ , blondie. I don't do anything without answers."  
Adrien looked at the small Kwami, still angry with him. "What?"  
"What the hell was that about?"  
"I had a dream."  
"Obviously."  
"I- I did something. I did something bad."  
"How is transforming going to-"  
"Plagg, please. I need a run."  
"Why don't you go on a normal run, then?"  
He was right. He could run as he always did in the mornings. "Father won't let me out."  
"Don't you have your own little gym setup here?"  
"Not...yeah. I don't want to use that, though. I want to go _outside_. I want to jump off of something."  
"Have you been taking your medication?"  
"Yes!" Adrien threw the blankets away. "I just want to run!" He got up and dressed, his hair still a tousled mess. "Get me out and back and I'll give you something."  
"Something? Something like what?"  
"I dunno, whatever you want."  
"I want your promise. Contract."  
Adrien's face changed, suddenly angry. "Hell no."  
"Then no deal."  
"Fine." Adrien pouted. "I can sneak out without you." He ran around his room in a frenzy, gathering clothes from his closet and throwing them on the bed.  
"What're you doing?"  
"Sneaking out." He pulled the blankets over the mass of clothes and pushed down in spots until it vaguely resembled the shape of his sleeping form. "Let's go." He snatched Plagg out of the air and stuffed him inside of the hoodie he had put on.  
"This is risky."  
Adrien ignored him.  
"You're being irrational."  
Adrien snuck through the hallway and looked over the banister to see where his Father was.  
"This is a bad idea." Plagg whispered.  
A wide grin stretched across Adrien's face as he heard the sound of a car pulling out from his driveway. "He's left. That makes this easier."  
"This is insane, Adrien."  
He almost flew down the stairs, and ducked out of Nathalie's sight, his chest heaving as he waited for a sign it was safe to go.  
"Hello?" She asked. There was a moment of silence before she asked again, this time by Adrien's name. Her voice wavered.  
She was scared.  
That cold feeling flooded him again, and he had the sudden urge to jump out at her, to laugh at the state she was in.  
He waited until the sound of her heels was farther off and then made a sprint into the kitchen.  
"I can't believe she didn't catch me." He whispered.  
"Luck. Which is unusual for you, considering the company you keep."  
He took a roll out of the basket on the counter and took a defiant bite, almost wishing his father could see him. "I don't know what you mean."  
"Black cats are bad luck, you know."  
"I don't think so." He broke off a piece of cheese from one of the wheels and handed it to Plagg. "Sorry we're out of everything else." He chewed and swallowed the bread quietly.  
"Is this enough to quench your adrenaline, now?" Plagg asked around his mouthful of cheese.  
"I escaped to my _kitchen_." Adrien laughed. "Hardly enough. Not till I'm outside."  
"Suit yourself. I'd hate to see you get smacked, though."  
"No you wouldn't." Adrien frowned. He hadn't even thought of the consequences sneaking off would lead to. "If I don't get caught, it won't be a problem."  
"How do you intend to sneak out? The window's barred, remember?"  
"There's more than one way to skin a cat." He noted absentmindedly.  
"I'm sure your father knows a few." Plagg warned. "Though I don't care to see them."  
"He wouldn't bruise me again before a shoot."  
Plagg scoffed. "Because he had so much restraint last time?"  
Adrien rolled his eyes. "Because he got an earful from every photographer and protester who caught sight of me."  
"Protester?"  
"Have you been paying attention?" Adrien pushed a few of the bins out of the way and stood on one, pushing the small escape window open. "Father's got a thing for thin models. _Very_ thin models."  
"What about you?"  
"In due time."  
"That's kind of sad, honestly. I don't feel sad for many people, mind you."  
"I'm flattered."  
He pushed himself through the small window and into the chilly air. "Alright."  
"Really we have to stop meeting like this."  
He looked up at the hovering hero before him. Her face was stone, serious and concerned.  
"Why are you here?"  
"As I said before, patrol. I got a bad vibe and- why are you here?"  
"I live here." Adrien frowned.  
"Do you know what time it is?"  
"Um...no. Six? Eight?"  
"Try two." She raised a brow. "Why the daring escape?"  
"I needed some air."  
She dropped down suddenly, her feet hitting the ground, and waited.  
They stood in silence for quite some time before Adrien turned and walked away, towards the back of the house.  
"Where are you going?"  
"I told you I needed some air."  
"Why not open a window?"  
"You ask a lot of questions."  
"It's kind of my thing."  
"It shouldn't be."  
She groaned and followed him. "That bad vibe I got lead me here. There's something important you need to know about that Miraculous of yours."  
"It's not mine. I didn't make a contract with him."  
"That makes it even more dangerous. Plagg has a way of convincing-"  
"Plagg is none of your business!" Adrien snapped. "Jesus Christ I just want to go outside without being hounded, how hard is that?!"  
She stared. That same pity in her eyes as the night they first met.  
"He makes you like this."  
"I'm not listening to you."  
"Listen to me, Cha-"  
"No! You listen!" He spun around to face her and moved closer, staring her right in the eyes. "There is _nothing_ wrong with me. There is _nothing_ going on that is _any_ of your business. **Stop** hanging around my house. **Stop** hanging around me."  
Her cloud turned black, and rumbled lowly with thunder, flashing in a few areas. "Adrien Agreste. It's **tainting** you."  
"Bug. Off." He hissed lowly. He turned around and ran, until his legs burned and he didn't feel her gaze on his back anymore.  


Sneaking in was easier than he thought it'd be. He ditched his extra clothes behind the bins and walked out of the kitchen barefoot, apple in hand, Plagg hidden in his shirt.  
"Oh!" Nathalie screeched, almost dropping her tablet. "When did you get there?!"  
He raised a brow and smiled. "I just got up. You didn't see me coming downstairs?"  
"I...I didn't." She sighed and held a hand over her heart.  
"Sorry I scared you."  
"It's fine." She inspected his face. "You're still red from..." she sighed again and fixed her glasses. "That man."  
"My Father?"  
She frowned, not quite angry, but definitely annoyed. "Please eat something else, before he comes back."  
"Why?"  
"You can't run on just an apple for breakfast."  
He froze for a moment, surprised by idea that someone had cared enough to insist he eat more.  
He felt hot tears stinging his eyes, and he quickly lifted his arm to hide them.  
"What's wrong?" Nathalie asked, putting her hands on his shoulders. "Adrien?"  
That cold feeling was leaving him, like taking off damp clothes after being caught outside in the rain, it was heavier rolling off of his shoulders and hanging at his feet. His quiet tears became louder and his breathing more erratic.  
"I'm sorry-" He hiccupped. "I'm so sorry!"  
Nathalie pulled Adrien to her chest, one hand smoothing his hair. She put her tablet down and hugged him fully. "Shh, it's okay. What happened?"  
He could feel Plagg on his chest, was he...warming up? Plagg was definitely warming up, almost _burning_ him. He pushed her away just to ease the burn on his skin.  
"I..." He couldn't think of an excuse. "I snuck out."  
Nathalie's eyes widened. "You did what?!"  
"I only went outside...just for a minute."  
"Adrien!"  
"I know, I won't do it again, I feel really guilty about it-"  
"Tell me next time!"  
He stared at her, unmoving. "What?"  
"I know how tense things are with your father, just...just tell me. If you're going to do something _that_ irresponsible, at least be safe about it." Her expression was almost unreadable, but there was concern somewhere in there, just below the surface.  
"Thank you."  
"Don't think that means you can sneak out whenever you want, it's still wrong."  
Adrien nodded once and wiped at his eyes again. "Yes ma'am."  
"Alright. No more tears, eat something and go warm up." She straightened up and gathered her things before turning to leave the kitchen. "And don't scare me like that again!"  
He nodded silently and waited until she had gone farther away to speak to Plagg. "You burned me."  
"You deserved it, blowing your cover like that."  
Adrien frowned. "Blowing my cover?"  
"She recognizes you. This is dangerous. She even knows your real name."  
"Of course she does, anyone would recognize me."  
"Watch that ego of yours, mister."  
"I didn't mean it like-"  
"Whatever, it's dangerous. Now the assistant knows your escape route, too."  
"She wouldn't tell my father."  
"She works for him, Adrien, do you really think she would lie to him? For _your_ sake?" He laughed and hovered around him for a bit. "That's hilarious."  
"Why are you so mean to me, Plagg?" Adrien glared, swatting him away as he walked to the fridge.  
"I'm only looking out for you. You want me to stop being so mean, stop being so stupid."  
"I'm not stupid." Adrien took out two eggs and a bag of cheese.  
"You could've fooled me." Plagg sighed. "Is that for me?"  
"No."  
Plagg grumbled about something under his breath as Adrien prepared an omlette. Adrien was doing his best to ignore the kwami's nagging, but his head was full of his words, swarming around and bumping against his skull like the inside of a hornet's nest.  
_Is she taking advantage of me? She probably is, this is a well paying job, she wouldn't risk it. Not for a kid._  
He added seasonings and cheese, folded it and flipped it, watched as the edges browned and curled up.  
Not for me.  
"I can't tell her anything."  
"Adrien! Oh goodness, I could have- oh gosh, I'm so sorry-" He turned his head to look at his chef, a short, pudgy old man with a silver beard, laced with black hairs that almost matched his equally bushy eyebrows. He had deep, hooded eyes, bright and almost caramel colored.  
"Don't worry about it. I know it's very early." Adrien spoke mechanically, not really thinking of what his response was. These kinds of things, apologies and introductions, they were almost preprogramed, he could recite them with earnest emotion in his sleep.  
"I should have-"  
"There's no reason for you to have prepared food for me this early. I'm sorry I woke you." He moved the omlette onto a plate and added some more cheese. "Would you like me to make you one?"  
The old man's eyes almost doubled in size. "Oh goodness no! No thank you, I mean- That would be highly inappropriate."  
Adrien frowned. "Are you sure? I don't mind, Father hardly ever lets me cook." He tried to smile, and the man seemed to crack.  
"Well...alright. If we keep it between us."  
Adrien nodded and moved out of the way as the man adjusted the temperature of the stove. For almost fifteen minutes the man taught Adrien the proper way to prepare an omlette, making sure it was perfectly round and folded, distributing the filling evenly. They spoke as they ate, leaning against opposite sides of the kitchen island.  
"Who taught you how to cook?" He asked the man.  
"I learned on my own at first, when I had children."  
Adrien tilted his head. "You have kids?" He knew next to nothing about the people who worked under his own roof, let alone their personal lives.  
"Yes! I was very young when my first, Emilie, was born. Todd was my second, and Elizabeth my youngest."  
They ate a few more bites, and Adrien quizzed the man about his children, what they did now, how it was moving around with his family while his own was in Italy.  
"It's difficult, of course. I'm very grateful your father hired me, it really has made life easier for my family back home."  
Adrien smiled, the idea of a happy family somewhere else made him curious, and at the same time, a bit sad.  
"What should I call you?"  
The man seemed surprised by the question, but swallowed his mouthful and answered simply. "My name is Gabriel."  
"Like my father." Adrien laughed lightly.  
"It's a nice name." The man nodded with a smile. "I've greatly enjoyed this meal with you, Adrien, but I must get back to sleep." The man yawned and stretched a bit. "I've much to do in the morning."  
"Good night, Mr Gabriel."  
"Good night, Adrien. Leave the dishes in the sink and I'll do them in a bit."  
Adrien watched as the man put his dishes in the sink and left, then stared down at his own empty plate.  
"I could wash them for him." He thought aloud.  
"Or you could sleep." Plagg yawned.  
Adrien ignored him, pushing up his sleeves, he walked to the sink and looked at all the different kinds of soap before him. "Which one do I use?" He picked up a damp rag and sponge. "Does it matter?"  
Plagg hovered over his hand and stared at him. "Whichever gets this done sooner."  
"Help me, then!" He whispered.  
"Fine. This one." He tapped the hand with the sponge. "Turn on some warm water first."  
Plagg gave Adrien vague, albeit useful instructions to properly wash the dishes, and dry them without damaging their surfaces. He put everything away and wiped water away from the counters, making sure the surfaces were dry. He put his hands on his hips and inspected the kitchen when he was done, feeling proud.  
"Okay, you've played housewife. Get upstairs before your-"  
The door swung open and slammed shut at that very moment, so quickly Adrien doubted anyone had time to get inside before it was sealed. He poked his head out of the kitchen doorway and stared at the massive wooden door, and his obviously displeased father.  
"Mr. Agreste! Is something wrong?"  
Nathalie was quick to his side, and with a heavy sigh he answered. "The Abate's are here."  
"Sir?"  
"The Abate family. They are in Geneva. I have to design for their daughter now."  
"The Abate's?" Adrien whispered. "Who're they?"  
Plagg hummed an 'I dunno' and wiggled into Adrien's shirt. He took one last look at the kitchen before stepping out into the open area. He had hoped to sidestep his gaze, as he had with Nathalie, but as soon as Adrien was out of the kitchen his father's cool eyes snapped to his, locking him in place.  
"Why are you awake so early?"  
Nathalie was silent.  
"I got water." He lied.  
"Get back to bed. You have a lot to do tomorrow."  
Adrien nodded once and hurried upstairs. As soon as hit feet hit the carpet, his eyes not yet adjusted to the darkness, he felt ill.  
He had yelled at Windy. He had said so many mean things to her that he didn't mean.   
And before that, he couldn't believe he had _actually_ snuck out like that. He wasn't one to break the rules, but he  _enjoyed_ it. Now it just scared him. His _recklessness_ scared him.  
"I have to apologize to Windy." He noted aloud.  
Plagg freed himself and sighed, sinking into the side of Adrien's pillow. "Why?"  
"I yelled at her." He narrowed his eyes at the kwami. "What did she mean? You corrupting me."  
"It's exactly what it sounds like." Plagg explained simply. "Not that it's true."  
"Why would she lie to me?"  
"I am one of two of the most powerful Miraculous created. It's only natural she'd want you to hand me over."  
He didn't want to believe it, but Plagg...Plagg was his only friend.  
He wanted to protect Plagg.  
"I would never hand you over to anyone."  
"Good. Go to bed."  
"I don't want to."  
"You're tired. Sleep."  
"I don't want to have that dream again."  
Plagg groaned, a bit louder than he would have expected, given his tiny size.   
"Another thing, you _burned_ me, what the hell was that about?!"  
"Go to sleep, Adrien. I'll explain later."  
Too tired to argue any further, he walked to his bed, wrapped himself in his cold comforter and dozed off.

 

-

 

  
"The Abate family has roots in America, but is best known for participating in several fashion shows in France and Italy. Rebecca and Georgio worked with designer Gabriel Agreste in most of their well known pieces, and have also been collaborating with luxury labels, such as Versace, Armani, and Prada. Their only child, Elizabeth Lynn, is an upcoming model for her parent's label."  
Adrien's eyes widened as he scrolled through the webpage.  
"So she's you. But American. And a lady."  
"Pretty much." Adrien raised a brow at the lack of pictures, his curiosity not yet quenched. "They're here, I guess. Father has to design something for her, Elizabeth Lynn."  
He put his phone down and hummed to himself, thinking about why his Father could be so thrown by their presence. It's not like they're staying in their house, right?

Wrong.

 

Elizabeth Lynn was the first to greet him, and insisted he call her Ellie. Several things stuck out to him.  
She was tall. Taller than him by about a head, and despite her model status, she had some curves. He had never seen a model his age with curves before, especially a woman. He didn't know such models existed. She also had bright brown eyes, almost like caramel, with a color resembling hot embers. She had beautiful skin, a deep brown with a few freckles under her eyes. She also had bright, almost neon, turquoise hair. He was almost tempted to touch it, but restrained himself.  
After an awkward handshake, which was surprisingly firmer than he had expected, his father prompted him to show her around the house.  
He showed her the kitchen, the dining room and living room, the extra room filled with books, and pointed to the direction of his father's office.  
"You aren't allowed in there?" She asked, arching a brow, filled in blue to match her hair.  
"No."  
She frowned, but as quickly as it had appeared it was gone. "What does your room look like?"  
He waited for a nod of approval from Nathalie before continuing. "It's this way, I'll show you."  
They walked down the long hallway in silence, Ellie's arms crossed behind her back, examining all the paintings. "Is your mom at work?"  
He hesitated. "No."  
"Oh. Did she..."  
"She's gone." He pushed the door to his bedroom open and she almost lost her mind.  
"It's huge!"  
He wasn't sure how to react. "Is that bad?"  
"No! I mean, maybe. You have so much room to dance around in here."  
He hadn't thought of doing that before. Music was to be kept quiet, and God forbid he stomped around up here.  
"You're pretty quiet, Adrien."  
He blinked up at her, not realizing he had been staring into his room absentmindedly. "What? Sorry."  
"Don't apologize. I don't blame you." She smiled and turned to face him. "Okay. Look at this." She held her hands up for him to see. Her left hand was making a thumbs up, the right was pointing to the left.  
Adrien did as she did.  
Then she switched hands, her left pointing and her right making a thumbs up. When Adrien tried it was almost pitiful.  
Ellie started laughing as Adrien kept trying. "Why is this so difficult?" He frowned.  
Ellie bent over, hands on her knees. "Keep trying, you'll get it." she chuckled. "It's so funny the first time people try it!"  
He dropped his hands and pouted at her. "Fine. What word is spelled S-H-O-P?"  
"Shop." She raised a brow again.  
"What do you do at a green light?"  
"Stop."  
Adrien smiled.  
"Wait- _Wait_!"  
Now he laughed at her, quick to slap a hand over his mouth and look towards the stairs.  
"Chill out, Agreste. You won't get in trouble for _laughing_." Her face changed, suddenly serious. "Do you?"  
"If I'm loud." He confessed.  
"That's why you're so quiet." She nodded a few times. "I get it."  
He felt odd, knowing she was analyzing him, but he did the same to most people he met, so he didn't complain. "What do you do for fun, Adrien? Any sports?"  
He shook his head. "I like to run, though."  
"So do I! I do cross country at school. Maybe we can race sometime."  
Adrien nodded, not one for competition, though it'd be rude to deny her the fun. He wasn't against the competition itself, he thought, but rather he had no one to compete with. He wasn't sure how to deal with it.  
"I have video games downstairs, if you'd like to play."  
Her eyes lit up. "Really? Okay!" She took him by the arm and spun him around, almost dragging him back down the stairs and into the living room.  
"Hey, Ellie, easy with him!" Rebecca chided her daughter in a soft tone, though Adrien could hear the seriousness behind it.  
She sat at the couch, cross legged, and watched as Adrien set up the console. "What do you want to play?"  
"What games do you have?" She leaned forward to look over his shoulder. "Anything with zombies?"  
Adrien flipped through the CD's, naming a few he thought she might like.  
"Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, Dead Space..." He looked through the stack again. "Oh, Dead Island: Riptide. I'm not really supposed to play it, though."  
"Why not?" Ellie tilted her head.  
"Father doesn't like it."  
"Father doesn't have to play it." she grinned. "Don't you do anything for you?"  
Adrien frowned. "Of course I do."  
"Like what? Name one thing." She leaned back and crossed her arms.  
"I run."  
"Not to keep in shape?"  
"That's a benefit, I guess, but not my reason for doing it."  
She narrowed her eyes, giving him a look he knew he had seen somewhere else before. "Assassin's Creed."  
Without a word he put the disk into the console and stood, handing her a controller.  
"How far are you in this game?"  
Adrien shrugged. "I dunno. I haven't played in a long time."  
"Why not?" She flickered through the start screen quickly, probably used to the setup.  
"School."  
"Oh? Where do you go?" She questioned.  
"I'm homeschooled." He answered simply. "I get a lot of homework, though."  
"Hm." She sunk into the cushions behind her and bent her legs, peering over her knees, mismatched socks on the cushion. Adrien stared at the empty space next to him, where his father once was.  
"Are they gone?" She whispered, looking ahead.  
He looked over his shoulder and then back at her. "Yeah. Why?"  
"We should go for a run."  
"Huh? But we just-" She cut him off with a soft smile, though her eyes were hot. _Something's wrong_. "Okay. Let's go."  
She was ready and waiting at the door before he had one shoe on, though she didn't rush him.  
Adrien's father was outside with Ellie's parents, talking about something he didn't care enough to pay attention to. "We're going for a run around the block!" Ellie waved, pushing the gate open. Adrien waited for an objection, but none came, so he continued after her.  
She was chipper until they were out of sight. "Hey."  
He was confused by her sudden change in attitude, but more confused by the way she looked around them, as if trying not to be suspicious. "Be honest with me, okay?"  
Adrien nodded. "I have no reason to lie to you."  
"Are you okay?"  
The question threw him for a loop, and he stopped walking. "What do you mean?"  
She turned to look at him, watching carefully. "It's exactly what it sounds like. Are you alright?" She was watchful as ever, bright eyes boring into his with an intensity so fierce he had to squint, like looking into the sun.  
"I'm fine."  
"You said you'd be honest."  
He opened his mouth to respond, to tell her that he really was okay, but she held up a hand to stop him. "You said you'd be honest. That doesn't mean you have to be right now." Her eyes were still intense, but the rest of her features softened a bit. "I'm here."  
"Why _are_ you here?" Adrien didn't mean for his words to sound so venomous, and he blinked in surprise at his tone the moment the words left his mouth.  
"Tell you what, if you can catch me I'll tell you." She smirked.  
"Catch you?"  
She spun around and took off, sprinting down the sidewalk and jumping over whatever was in her way.  
"Hey! Ellie!" Adrien charged after her, careful not to fall over the things in his way. He was amazed at how easily she seemed to leap over whatever was around her, running across walls to avoid holes and rolling under low branches that would have slowed her down to simply slow down and duck under.  
"Ellie!" He stopped and watched as she stood between two pillars against the side of a large house. "Be carefu-"  
She jumped, standing with one hand and foot on each pillar, and climbed up to the roof.  
"Ellie what the hell are you doing?! Get down!"  
She laughed and started running again, jumping across rooftops. "Make me!"  
Adrien had been chasing her for sport, but now he was actually concerned for her health. "Please!"  
"Nope!" She jumped a large gap and his heart sank into his shoes.  
"Stop!"  
He chased after her, watching from below as she jumped. At the end of the housing complex, with no more roofs to jump, she leaned over the edge, probably looking for a way down.  
"Ellie be careful!"  
"I'll be fine!" She waved him off and looked around. "I'll climb down that way."  
He looked wide-eyed at the tree she was pointing to, his stomach doing flips. "Please don't."  
"I do this all the time, it'll be fine!" Without another word she was climbing down from the tree, brushing herself off and picking a leaf from her hair. "See?"  
"I could strangle you."  
"Adrien Agreste is that concern I hear?"  
"It's more disbelief, but yes, there is concern for your sanity. I won't deny it."  
"You think I'm crazy?"  
"I think you're reckless."  
She was smiling again. "Have you ever been to France, Adrien?"  
He didn't answer.  
"In France, they do this thing called parkour, it started as this military obstacle course training thing." She held her arms above her head, stretching. "They do it in other places, too, obviously. I learned in America." She put her fists on her hips and stared at him, her face unreadable. "I want to teach you."  
"Why would I need to learn parkour?"  
"Because it's fun, and because you won't get a real answer from me until you can catch me."  
"That's stupid."  
"Not knowing how to scale twenty-five foot wall and backflip off of a roof into a tree is stupid."  
"You scare me."  
"Good. Let's start your training!"  
"I don't want to-"  
"Alright. An important thing to remember-" She held up one finger. "You don't need expensive shoes. Wear something with support, but nothing heavy. The lighter the better." She held another one up. "Remember to tuck and roll. Play it safe." She held up another. "Trust in yourself, but don't be reckless."  
"Like backflipping into a tree isn't reckless?" Adrien raised a brow.  
"Okay, see, I _said_ backflip into a tree but did I do it? No."  
He rolled his eyes. "You can't seriously expect me to do this."  
"I definitely expect you to do this. Let's start with the basics."  
  


 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeez, this chapter got long! But yay! Introduction of my baby Ellie!


	5. Two Years, Three Months

Adrien's back was sore, his knees bruised, and hands calloused from catching his weight unevenly on the concrete. His bones groaned in protest of every movement, muscles ached as if to remind him of how big of an idiot he had been to go along with Ellie's ideas.  
But he could dive roll, almost as gracefully as Ellie could, and he hadn't broken anything.  
Sleep had never sounded so wonderful after a full day of falling on his ass and rolling around on the floor. His father hadn't even questioned why Adrien insisted on skipping dinner and going straight to bed. Adrien was wondering if he even noticed his absence. He looked at the bars still over his window, and his stomach rolled. Did his father really think of Adrien as some sort of animal to keep caged up? Is this what parents normally did?  
"You could break right through those as Chat Noir." Plagg reminded him quietly.  
"I know." Adrien waved him away, heading into the bathroom and closing the door before the kwami could follow. He needed a minute, just one minute of solitude. He needed to think, or rather, stop thinking. Stop overanalyzing everything, let his mind be blank and calm for once. He turned on the shower and sighed, really not in the mood to move at all. He stood for a moment, leaning against his counter and staring at the top edge of his baseboards, gathering faint grey dust. Steam filled the room, clinging to his skin and soothing his tired muscles. He undressed and got cleaned up.  
He didn't want to shower, but now that he was in, he didn't want to get out.  
He took longer than usual, washing his hair and just standing in silence, letting the hot water hit his back. He felt almost disconnected.  
There wasn't another word he knew to describe it. He was always caught between two things, sort of hovering somewhere in the middle, tethered to the ground and bobbing back and forth, the wind blowing him like a discarded balloon.  
He could be Adrien. He could be Chat Noir.  
He could run away and never come back. He could be obedient.  
He could give up.  
At the dark thought he turned off the water, hurriedly dried himself and left the bathroom, towel around his waist. He made a beeline to his nightstand and dug around through the CD's and random papers for his medicine.  
"I thought you got lost in there." Plagg started buzzing around his head. "You alright?"  
He opened the bottle and took a celexa, ignoring the small creature.  
"Should I hide the sharp things?"  
"Don't." Adrien snapped. "That's not funny at all."  
"You're too sensitive." Plagg sighed. "I'm only joking."  
"It's not funny." Adrien repeated. He was starting to shake, and quickly capped the bottle, tossing it into his drawer and pushing it closed, leaving to get dressed.  
_You should eat something_. He told himself. _Don't stop eating. Your body needs food._  
He used to say these things out loud, and reward himself with a quiet "well done, Adrien" when he did eat something, but Plagg mocked him, so he kept it silent now.  
"I'm going to get something to eat." He told Plagg.  
"Bring me food."  
"You already snuck food."  
Plagg groaned, and Adrien opened his bedroom door.  
Ellie was standing outside, a plate of food in her hands, he was immediately horrified that she had heard him talking. "Hey champ! You skipped on me."  
"I wasn't hungry."  
"But now you are." She held the plate out to him. "Here."  
"How..."  
"I'm not dumb, Adrien. A growing boy needs his nutrients." She smiled down at him. "You looked kind of...distant. I figured you'd want a break for some you-time."  
"Thank you."  
There was silence after he took the plate from her hands. Finally he spoke up.  
"You said...I could be honest with you."  
She nodded.  
"I have depression."  
"I know."  
"You knew?" He raised his brows at her, and she furrowed hers, her smile a bit wider, though softer than it had been. Adrien had always tried so hard to hide it, to look happy whenever people were watching.  
"Oh, yeah. It's not bad, and it's not obvious either, if you were worried about that."  
"How'd you find out?"  
"Don't take this the wrong way, but...the situation you're in." she looked over his shoulder, and his heart sunk, knowing she was looking at the bars over his window. "I would be." She quickly looked back at him. "You did a really good job today, by the way. I could tell you were trying your best, and it really paid off."  
"I'll catch you in no time." He smiled.  
"I wouldn't go that far." She teased. "Good night, Adrien. I'll see you in the morning."  
She waved and he watched her walk to her room and close the door before closing his own and sitting on his bed, staring down at his plate. This was definitely more than he would have eaten any other day. Pasta and bread, oh Lord. There was a small corner of his plate occupied by lettuce, which he found odd, since usually that's all he'd eat.  
"I can't eat all of this." He sighed.  
"Yeah you can."  
"How do you know?"  
"Never underestimate the appetite of a starving teenage boy."  
"I'm not starving."  
"Really? How many pieces of lettuce do you eat in a week? Three?"  
"Shut it." He took the fork from the side of his plate and speared some of his salad. "Go to bed already."   
Plagg, for once, did as he was told.  
Adrien had never craved the outside air so strongly before.  
He felt claustrophobic in his room, despite its size, and heavily he slouched over his half eaten plate. He could probably sneak out again, but what was the point? Where would he go? Standing outside wasn't exactly what he wanted. What did he want?  
Why couldn't he ever figure out what he wanted?  
He got up, put his plate on the nightstand, and walked to the window.  
The bars were thick, but didn't block out the hazy glow of the streetlights outside completely. The window itself wasn't held shut, and if he really squeezed his hand through, he could probably open it.  
He tried.  
One sore hand later, the chilly air was hitting his cheeks. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the smell of petrichor filled him, and soothed his claustrophobia.  
"Hey there, handsome boy!"  
Adrien jumped, but kept his eyes closed. The last person he wanted to talk to right now was Windy. "Hello."  
"I wanted to talk to you, good sir."  
He opened one eye, then the other. "About what?"  
"Your kwami."  
Adrien frowned, looking away from her. "Yeah. I wanted to ask you about that."  
"Well, I'm all ears."  
He looked at her through the bars, his stomach in knots. She waited, ever expectant, but patient, the pity still hadn't left her eyes. "I'm sorry I snapped at you."  
"I knew you would."  
"But you still tried to warn me?"  
She nodded. "I'm a hero, Adrien. It's my job to help people."  
Something about her doing it out of obligation made him feel worse. "How do I stop it?"  
"He's chosen you. It's not like you can pass the Miraculous to someone else. How long have you had it?"  
"Wait, the Miraculous?"  
"The object he kinda came with. Earrings or a necklace, something like that."  
Adrien racked his brain for some kind of object. "He didn't come with anything...he's always been here."  
She narrowed her eyes at him, clearly confused, but seeming a bit angry too. "How? There has to be something he's tied to."  
"Can he do that without making a contract with me?"  
If she looked angry then, this was fury. "Was someone else in your family given him?"  
Adrien raised his brows. "I think I would know if my father were a kink-suit superhero."  
Her face twisted. "Who gave you the right to give me that mental image? No one else has lived with you before?"  
"My other family left when I was young."  
"Maybe one of them was once in possession of it and left it for you."  
He couldn't imagine his mother or Felix being superheroes, either. "I don't think so. Should I make the contract?"  
"Each one is different, but the Black Cat Miraculous has always been the same. I don't know everything about it, so it really isnt' fair for me to tell you what to do."  
She tapped the iron bar in front of her, and he noticed her hair was brighter than before. He asked her if it did anything weird like her cloud.   
"It just sorta floats around." She shrugged.   
"It looks like you're under water." He noted, watching the thick locks move around in the breeze outside. "I like it."  
"Wanna trade? I'd take your banana hair any day."  
"Banana hair?"  
"Never mind. It's late, and I've got patrol to do, I'll catch up with you later, alright? You have some questions to ask." She looked pointedly at his bed, where the kwami in question was sleeping.   
"Good night, Windy."  
"Night, Adrien."

 

-

 

Waking up was probably his least favorite part of the day. Having to pull himself out from under the warm blankets and into the chilly air was never a pleasant experience. He turned over to look at Plagg, who had curled up at the bottom of the other pillow. "Are you awake?"   
"No."   
"Who did you choose before me?"  
Plagg's eyes slid open, and Adrien waited for a sarcastic remark or demand for more food. Instead he got a quiet "I don't want to talk about it."  
"I don't care. l need to know."  
"No you don't."  
"Does it have anything to do with my mother?"  
He was silent. Adrien got out of bed and hurried to close his window, the room was too cold, but the smell of rain was everywhere, so he didn't complain. "Fine." He moved as quickly as he could, a fast shower, brushed teeth and hair, and a deep breath to gather his courage before stepping out and going back to his bed. Plagg still hadn't moved, Adrien made the bed over him, temporarily trapping the small kwami under his quilt. He fussed at the boy, but Adrien ignored it, taking another pill from the bottle in his drawer and walking towards the door.   
"Where are you going?"  
Adrien was silent. If Plagg was dodging answers, so would he. "Don't wait up."  
"I have to go with you, you know that."   
Adrien remembered what Windy had asked him, and stopped, racking his brain for an object he wore every day that Plagg could be tied to.   
"Kid, what are you doing?"  
Adrien started stripping, which was a bit weird, but necessary. Without his clothes in the way, he could see smaller articles. He didn't wear necklaces, his ears weren't pierced, where is it?  
"What are you doing, Adrien?"  
Without thinking, he turned the ring on his finger, as he did sometimes to concentrate- and stopped.   
He looked at his hand, and then Plagg. "Is it this?"  
Plagg was silent.   
"I got this from him. It's the only thing I have left of them. You wouldn't attach yourself to this without telling me, would you?"  
"It's not my job to tell you what I'm tethered to, Adrien."   
His blood was boiling. This ring was precious to him, this ring was from his brother, it was the only real gift he had received. The idea of Plagg clawing his way into it made him shake with fury.   
He opened his mouth to shout at the creature, but was cut off by a rather concerned sounding voice from the other side of his door.   
"Adrien, are you up?"  
He sucked in a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. I'll be right out."  
Plagg hovered, prepared to follow, but Adrien took a step back. He pulled the ring from his hand and threw it onto his bed. "I said don't wait up."  
"Adrien, this is a dangerous-"  
"Fuck dangerous, you _infested_ it. Do you know how important that ring is to me, Plagg? Do you even understand what you did?"  
"If it falls into the wrong hands, this entire city and more could be destroyed."  
"She won't want it back!"  
"The city is-"  
" **Fuck the city!** "  
"Adrien, are you okay?"  
"I'm fine!" He snapped.   
"I know you're upset, but hear me out."  
"No. Just- no, I'm leaving. I don't care what you do or where you go, just leave me alone."  
Plagg sunk back to his spot on the bed, and after a brief moment of silence, disappeared, the ring glowed for a moment, and then went back to normal. He contemplated tossing it into a drawer, but he didn't even want to touch it.   
He put his clothes back on and left his room.   
"Hey! Wanna practice some more today?"  
"Sure."  
Ellie's face dropped, and she inspected his eyes carefully for a moment. "Okay. I have something we need to do first, though."  
He didn't care. He'd go wherever, as long as it wasn't near Plagg. 

 

-

 

She brought him to a small lot, an area he had never seen before. The ground was separated into several narrow sections, each with high walls.   
"What's this?"  
"We're breaking things." She motioned to a small pile of glass bottles in one of the sections. "Looks like you could use it."  
"I don't want to break anything."  
"Why not?"  
"Destroying things won't fix it."  
"So something does need to be fixed. Wanna talk about it?"  
"No."  
She looked away, as if thinking. "That surprises me. Hearing it from you."  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
She shrugged. "It's nothin'. Listen, just grab one of these and throw it at the wall, okay? It might help, release some tension." She rolled her shoulders and picked one up, lifted it as if to make sure he was paying attention, and then threw it at the wall. The sound was as hollow as the bottle itself, but he jumped nonetheless as the sound bounced off the walls around them.   
"Your turn."  
He walked to the pile, picked one up, and gave it a low, lazy toss.   
"Feel any better?"  
"I feel worse." He frowned. "Who's going to clean this? What if someone gets hurt?"  
"No one, if you control your destruction."   
"You can't control destruction."  
"You can't control chaos, my dear Adrien. Destruction can most definitely be controlled."  
He didn't understand. Glass in every direction, how could he control every piece? It was impossible.   
"Can I say something kind of weird?"  
"Don't you usually?"  
"You have really pretty eyes."  
Adrien lifted a brow. "Is that the weird part?"  
She shrugged. "I'm sure you've heard it before, so it's not weird for you. You do, though. I'd recognize them anywhere."  
"Hm."  
"Your dad's are blue, I'm pretty sure. He's always glaring, so I can never really tell." She laughed and picked up another bottle, walking to him and holding it out. "That means you have your mother's eyes. I do, too."  
He didn't move. His mother was a sore subject, as it would be for anyone. Even so, he didn't want to be rude, he'd have to get used to it sometime. "Thanks."  
"I know how hard it is, but it's nice having part of her with you, isn't it? Something you can't take off or lose."  
Suddenly it felt as if the entire planet had shifted, and he was standing sideways, unstable. He swallowed hard. "Like your eyes."  
"And my necklace." She smiled. "It was given to me a few years ago."  
"It's pretty." He hadn't noticed it before, but as soon as he looked, he knew exactly which one it was. A lightning bolt. "Are you into Harry Potter or something?"  
"No," she laughed. "It's my miraculous."  
With that, everything had flipped over, himself included. "Your what?"  
She rolled her eyes at him. "Okay, Adrien. When you're ready."  
"Ready for what?" He threw the bottle and jumped at the loud crash that followed. "Is that some inside joke I missed?"  
"You don't have to try so hard to deny it, Adrien. I'll drop it."  
It's my miraculous. You have your mother's eyes. I'd recognize them anywhere. Control your destruction. He held his head in his hands. "Are you Windy?"  
"Only when you're ready to talk about it."  
"Oh my God you are." He crouched, and then sat down, the seams of his back pockets digging uncomfortably into him. Just another pain in the ass.  
"Hey, do you need a minute?"  
The world started spinning. The girl living with him, two houses down, was a superhero. A superhero he had done so much crazy stuff in front of.  "I'm gonna be sick."  
"You act like this is a bad thing."  
"Isn't it?"  
"I don't see why." He moved his hands and forced himself to look up and watch as she strolled towards him, hands behind her back. "We're like- super friends-" she gasped. "We can be like the Avengers."  
"The what?"  
"You can be Black Widow and I can be Thor."  
"Ellie-"  
She dropped down, crouching in front of him. "You aren't alone, Adrien. Breathe."  
"This whole time, you knew?"  
"I did."  
"So the parkour, the controlled destruction, the visits-"  
"I wanted to get to know you, help as much as I could."  
"You tried to warn me about Plagg."  
"And I see he's not with you."  
"I left it at home."  
"What?"  
"I left it at home. The miraculous, he was in my ring- my ring, the ring from my _brother_."  
"Calm down, Adrien, breathe. Stand up, come on."  
She had to pull him up, because he had no intention of moving on his own.   
"Let's take a walk, eh? Unless you wanna break some stuff first."  
He didn't reply, so they waited. She stood with one hand on his shoulder and waited, just like she did as Windy when he snuck out, as she did as Ellie with his dinner the night before.   
"Maybe we should head back to your place. I know you don't want anything to do with it, but that ring has more power than-" she sighed. "If that falls into the wrong hands, it could be disastrous."  
"Plagg said the city could be destroyed."  
She nodded once. "Or worse."  
"Why does Plagg have that power? Why do I have something with that much power?"  
"Because you can handle it."  
"What if I use it wrong? What if I destroy the city?"  
"You won't. That's why you have it."  
"Okay, but by that logic-"  
"Adrien you have to have more faith in yourself."  
"Ellie listen," he held out his hands to her, as if holding something. "If I'm the wrong person, if I'm the 'wrong hands'-"  
"You aren't."  
"And if someone else gets my ring and says the same thing? I'm just as capable of messing up as anyone else, aren't I?"  
"You really need to work on your confidence, dude. You've had this as long as you could remember, that means something. Make it mean something good."  
"How long have you had yours? Who helped you?"  
"We can talk about this over coffee, you didn't eat before we left, right? Maybe we can get a bagel or something."  
He didn't protest, letting her talk as he walked alongside her, hands in his pockets as she rambled about the weather and upcoming projects.   
He only lifted his gaze to move out of the way of a woman leaving the cafe they were heading into. "Excuse me."  
The girl almost screamed, and Adrien backed up further. The girl was short, blonde, with oversized sunglasses that hid three quarters of her face and a bright yellow scarf thrown over her shoulders. "Um-"  
"Adrien Agreste!"  
"Oh no, Adrien-" Ellie took his forearm and tugged a bit, leading him off.   
"Adrien, it's me!" The woman moved her glasses away, and as soon as he saw those electric blue irises, his blood ran cold. "Chloe!"  
"Chloe?" Ellie asked.   
"Who is this?" Her voice was dripping with distaste.  
"I'm Ellie Abate."  
"Elizabeth Lynn, I thought I knew that dye job."   
"Excuse me?"  
"I didn't know you were in Geneva, Adrikins, I would have visited."  
"Adrikins, really? I'm gonna call you that from now on."  
Adrien grimaced. "Please don't."  
Chloe took him by the arm and lead him further down the sidewalk. "I was just seeing the sights before heading back to our place, it's temporary, of course, until we go back to Paris."  
He tried to get away, but her grip was tight enough to keep him in place. He turned enough to give Ellie a pleading look, glad to see she was already following behind.  
"Chloe, Ellie and I were doing something, maybe we can catch up later."  
She stopped dead in her tracks, flashing her wide, sad eyes at him. "What? But..but it's been years, Adrikins. I haven't seen you since we were kids."  
"I know, how long will you be here? We really do need to catch up, maybe spend the day together! I'd like some time to prepare, though, make sure nothing gets in the way."  
Chloe's face fell, and she nodded a few times, giving his arm a squeeze before letting go. "Right. I'll...I'll give you my number, okay?"  
"Yeah!" Adrien fumbled for his phone, and opened up a new contact space. "I'll text you right away so you have mine."  
She rubbed her arm and put her glasses back on. "Sure."  
She read off her number, and he added it, sending her a quick hello text and putting his phone away. "How have you been, Chloe? It's been too long."  
"Two years, three months, too long." She gave him a weak smile. "I've got to meet with dad, okay? Avoid the paparazzi till I get back, oui?"  
He smiled, they kissed each other's cheeks, and she went on her way.   
Ellie moved to his side and crossed her arms. He tilted his head back a bit to look at her properly, finally getting used to her height. "Childhood friend?"  
He nodded once. "Yeah, back in France."  
"You didn't look happy to see her."  
"I don't like to remember France."  
She nodded once, sighed and put her hands on her hips. "Woke you up, though."   
He scratched the back of his head, avoiding her gaze. "How about that coffee?"  
She smiled, turning on a heel and heading back. "They make good espresso here, and a lot of sweeter stuff, if you like your coffee that way."   
He found himself walking alongside her yet again, listening to her talk and trying to imagine what she'd look like with a cloud around her waist and floating hair.


	6. Legacy

"So." Ellie took a long sip of her espresso and sighed. "Two years, three months. Odd you kept count, but you don't like to remember it."  
"Is it?" Adrien drank some of his tea, staring at the world outside the window next to them.  
"You weren't really a kid two years and three months ago. What'd you meet up for?"  
He swallowed, took a pack of sugar from the porcelain container next to him, and wiggled it around between his fingers to settle the sugar at the bottom. "Court."  
She looked surprised, but didn't question him further. She stirred her cup a bit with the thin silver spoon, making small clinking noises against her cup. "It's none of my business, but can I guess?"  
Adrien shrugged weakly.  
"Divorce." The expression Adrien made confirmed her suspicion, and she sighed. "I feel bad for her. That's a messy thing to go through."  
She kept her eyes down, setting her spoon down on her small plate before taking another slow sip. Adrien added his sugar and stirred. "How about you? Any sob stories you'd like to share?"  
"Of course. Everyone's got them."she shrugged. "Mine are nothing to complain about."  
"Anything you can complain about, you can complain about." He reassured. "Someone's issues being bigger than your issues don't stop your issues from being issues."  
"How many times did you use the word 'issues' in that statement?"  
"You know what I mean."  
"I do." she smiled slightly. "Thank you."  
They drank in silence for some time, getting a few refills and watching the sky darken above them. When the rain started to fall, Adrien remembered Chloe. He sent her a short message and apologized for postponing their day to hang out.  
"I like your hair. I'm not sure If I've mentioned it."  
"You haven't. Thank you." Ellie smiled. "I like yours. Your type of texture always does such cool things." She furrowed her brows. "Honest to God, it looks like bananas when you're...you know."  
He understood the secrecy, as they were in public, even so, something about the statement confused him. "Like, what, straight hair?"  
She rolled her eyes. "I don't want to say it straight up, it feels weird. White people hair, I guess."  
Adrien's brows shot up.  
"You're white." She cocked a brow at him and grinned. "I've seen your parents, you're straight up white. White as snow, like, an uncooked baguette white. See what I did there? Because you're French."  
"Yeah, I know. A-are you not white?"  
Her eyes went wide, and then she squinted, lifting a hand and waving it a few inches from his face. "How long have you been blind? Honestly, I had no idea."  
"Ellie I'm serious. I thought you were just _tan_."  
"No, I'm biracial." She explained. "Adopted, hence, my white parents." She took another sip and sighed, closing her eyes for a minute. "I'm getting another. Want more tea?"  
"Please." He nodded, removing his spoon and setting it down on his napkin. "I didn't know."  
"I didn't tell you. Funny how that works, isn't it?"  
Adrien's phone buzzed, and he quickly checked it.  
"It's father, excuse me." He slid out of his seat and headed outside to answer the call.  
"Adrien Mathieu Agreste, where have you been?"  
"I'm with Elizabeth." He answered quickly, stiffening.  
"Where?"  
"A small cafe near home. The name is in German, but I could try to pronounce it."  
His father sighed, and he could almost see the man pacing, pinching the bridge of his nose as he usually did in frustration. "Update me when you're gone for so long."  
"Yes, father."  
"You aren't eating anything sweet, are you?"  
"No, father."  
"Don't use that tone."  
"Sorry, father."  
"That-" He sighed again. "You sound like a robot, Adrien. What's wrong?"  
The question genuinely shocked him. He turned and looked at Ellie through the window, who was speaking with one of the waitresses. "I'm...nothing's wrong. I ran into Chloe today."  
"Chloe _Bourgeois_?"  
"Yeah, I- yes sir. She said her father was here with her temporarily, they're going back to Paris soon."  
"Interesting. I need to continue my work. Update me, Adrien, and don't get caught in the rain."  
"Yes sir."  
His father hung up, leaving Adrien shocked and sort of... _fizzy_. He hadn't had a conversation with his father over the phone before. Not a real one, anyway. He went back inside, feeling a bit inflated and proud. The waitress was gone, and their drinks were filled again, two muffins between them.  
"What's this?"  
"Chocolate chip." Ellie smiled. "That waitress recognized us. I took a picture with her and she gave me food, how cool is that?" She laughed and picked up one of them, unwrapping the paper. "She brought one for you too."  
"I appreciate it." He smiled. "I should thank her."  
"If you want to." Ellie shrugged. "I already did."  
"I mean, personally." He smiled. "It's a nice gesture. How do you say thank you in German?"  
Ellie coached him for a bit, they finished their drinks and got bags for their snacks. Left money on the table, with a good tip, and Adrien thanked a starsruck brunette in awkward German.  
"You seem bubbly. What's up?"  
"I spoke with my father. On the phone. Not about business or anything, just a normal conversation."  
"Wow, seriously? It's like you're his kid now or something."  
"Shut up." Adrien laughed and shoved her lightly.  
"No really, look, I have goose bumps now. I'm getting chills."  
"You're so sassy." Adrien pouted playfully.  
"I use sarcasm to hide my pity."  
"Pity?"  
"Among other things." She took a deep breath and stretched. "What'd you talk about?"  
"I mentioned Chloe, he told me not to get caught in the rain."  
"Whoa whoa, hold on, you didn't tell me that!"  
"Pardon?"  
"He didn't want you to get _rained on_? That's so... _loving_."  
Adrien hadn't thought of it as anything but 'I don't want to deal with you if you get sick'. "Oh yeah. I guess."  
"He really does love you." She smiled, looking at the clouds. "I hope you know that. Despite all the sarcasm from my end, and the glaring from his. I think he does his best to keep you safe."  
Adrien nodded. "Yeah."  
"He's a _douche_ about it sometimes, I won't defend what he did to you." She looked at him, expression serious. "But in a weird, overprotective way, he loves you."  
"I'm glad you can see it." He confessed. "I'm too young for this stress."  
Ellie snorted and spun around, walking backwards with her hands in the pockets of her high-waisted shorts. "You really are. I think I see a gray hair."  
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't even joke about that."  
"You'd look cool with grey hair, I think." She smiled. "I don't doubt your pet will cause it sooner or later." She eyed his left hand, and he slipped it into his pocket. He had the ring in his back pocket, still too angry with Plagg to wear it. He didn't want to hear that voice in his head, knowing it was buried somewhere in his most prized possession.  
"Are you talking?"  
"Somewhat."  
"You should discuss things. If he's chosen you, you can't shake him."  
"Did yours? Did it linger, I mean."  
She hesitated for a moment. "No."  
"What did you wish for?"  
"That's between Blitz and I. One day, I might tell you." She shrugged. "Really, who knows."  
His mind raced, wondering what she could have wished for, what could be important enough to spend the rest of your life fighting for.  
"I'd wish for my family, I think." He noted absentmindedly. Thinking it he felt nothing, but saying it out loud, giving the emotion words and making it known to someone else-  
He stopped walking and took a deep breath. The thought had shaken him to his very core, and he felt the ring in his pocket heat up slightly.  
Ellie had stopped too, her amber eyes once again filled with empathy.  
"Adrien."  
"What's a douche?"  
She blinked a few times. "Huh?"  
"You said my dad was a douche about showing affection. What does that mean?"  
She smiled, though clearly trying to hold it back, and cracked, letting out a loud, bubbly laugh. "You're so sheltered! Oh man, don't make me cry, this makeup took forever." She dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve and turned around, continuing to walk. "Forget about it."  
  
They walked together for a while longer, talking about their miraculous' and the terms of contract.  
"Plagg can tell you about yours, each one is a bit different. It depends on what you wish for, too. Even if you wish for something small, though, you'll be stuck with it forever."  
She could sense the hesitance rolling off of his shoulders, and watched his expressions carefully. The Black Cat was chosen for a very specific reason, and she debated telling him about the book Blitz told her about. She had the chance to make him feel better, she wanted to take it. So she did.  
She brought him to a park, the kids already there were being towed away by parents and guardians, warning of the impending storm. She lead him to a short bench away from other people, near the very back.  
"There's a reason you were chosen, why he's been with you this long."  
Adrien furrowed his brows, and her heart twisted for him. His innocence, his blindness.  
"Everyone who gets a Miraculous is chosen by a keeper of sorts, someone who has it in their possession, but doesn't wield it. No one really knows who they get it from."  
"Why not?"  
She shrugged. "I don't know, really. I don't even think Blitz knows. She does know who her keeper is, though."  
"Did she and Plagg have the same keeper?"  
"I'm not sure. The Black Cat miraculous is _incredibly_ powerful, there's only one in existence that can come close to counter its power."  
Adrien's eyes were wide and horrified, so Ellie was quick to add information she wasn't quite sure was true, just to ease him. "But you were chosen because you can handle it, and he's stuck around this long because there's no one else better suited."  
This seemed to ease him for a moment, but then he shot right back to panic.  
"What if I'm not? What if it's a mistake?"  
"You don't think I thought the same thing after _flooding_ my neighborhood with rain?" She put a hand on his shoulder and lightly squeezed. "You're an identity now, just like I am."  
"Why can't I be like, Adrien, _subcategory_ hero?"  
"The Black Cat _in itself_ is an identity. It's not just a costume you put on. That kwami has been attached to hundreds of people, hundreds of contracts. You aren't ever going to be _Adrien_ when you wield it. You _are_ the Black Cat. That's it. Every person that kwami has made a contract with, their lives and actions become one long story, you're just another arc."  
"Well thanks, I feel important."  
"You are _incredibly_ important, Adrien. I just mean..." She sighed and shook her head. "There's a legacy you're part of now. What you do in the suit affects how people perceive the next incarnation."  
"I still haven't made a contract, though. That legacy could go to someone more...I don't know. _Worthy_?"  
"You don't think you are?"  
"Does anyone? Did you?"  
She laughed, keeping her eyes trained ahead. "Hell no. It's something I had to warm up to. See also: flooding my neighborhood."  
"Neighborhoods flood, Ellie. It's not unusual."  
"It was in the middle of winter."  
He paused, jaw dropping a bit, and cringed slightly. "Oh."  
He jumped when a drop of rain hit him, and looked up, holding his hand out. "We should get going. Unless you want to get..."  
Ellie lifted a brow as Adrien slowly looked towards her. "What?"  
"Are you like, water resistant?"  
"What?"  
"You can control weather and stuff, right? Can you just like, not get rained on? If you didn't want to get wet?"  
"Did you hit your head back there, Agreste?"  
He frowned and stood up. "Don't judge me."  
"That ship has long since sailed, dude." She laughed, standing up and dusting off the back of her shorts.  
Adrien wasn't sure what to say, and neither did Ellie.  
"You uh...you joke a lot."  
"Do I?"  
"That's what I mean." Adrien smiled slightly. "My mother used to do that."  
"It's...a defense. I guess."  
"Can you teach me how to do it?"  
Ellie started walking, leaving Adrien to hurry behind her. "I can't teach you how to joke, Adrien."  
"No, I mean- how does it work?"  
"Exactly how you'd think it would."  
"I want to have a defense mechanism, Ellie."  
She stopped, now at the other end of the park, and stared down at him. "Why? Face your problems, Adrien. Chase them down and attack, take out what scares you and fight what makes you feel inferior."  
"Why can't you do that?" Adrien glared, looking more hurt than angry. "Why can't I do things the way you do?"  
"Because you aren't me."  
Her heart twisted again, another punch to the chest. His light was blinding, it burned her.  
"I can try to be."  
"Why would you? You're fine the way you are, just- just learn to cope on your own. I'm defending myself from different demons."  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"I don't want to talk about this." She shook her head and kept walking.  
"Help me, Ellie!" He called out, still standing in place. "Tell me what to do."  
Thunder cracked overhead, and the lightning quickly followed. She turned around and yelled for him to hurry up before he got zapped, and reluctantly he crossed his arms.  
"Adrien I swear."  
"I'm not going anywhere. Not until you agree to help me."  
"What do you think I was doing before? This whole time, I've been helping you."  
"No more riddles, just be straight up with me. Tell me what I need to do!"  
"Fine! Just hurry up!"  
Adrien walked slowly, out of pure spite. Always childish when provoked.  
He noticed with a shock that as soon as he stood within her area of personal space, the rain stopped.  
"You _can_ do it."  
She didn't respond beyond a quiet. "Let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ellie having the miraculous' effects in and out of the costume is one of the more direct nods to PMMM, the contract Plagg presents Adrien with in the next chapter is also here! I didn't make it, but I did follow it almost to a T.  
> https://docs.google.com/document/d/1q5WnGiLZgSoQoeEUNONVS1__Q5nSBbglPJ3AwiH0dfY/edit


	7. Momento & Momentum

For the first time in a while, he had the dream.  
It was different, he almost didn't realize the ties between this and his previous until the near end.  
He was running, black shoes across the curved shingles of steep slanted roofs. The sensation of flight almost woke him, but then he- his dream self, looked upwards.  
A city skyline, one he didn't recognize. It shone brilliantly against the black sky, and though he would have loved to stare at the lights in the skyscraper windows, he returned his vision to the ground. He tucked and rolled, bolting back upwards into a sprint. He shouted something at a man ahead of him, a man dressed in such a vibrant shade of crimson Adrien wondered for a moment if he were made of fire. He couldn't make out what the voice was saying. It sounded distant, like he was listening from underwater.  
There was a loud crash, and an almost blinding white light. That's not what woke Adrien up, though.  
Something heavy landed on his chest, making him bolt upwards. Ellie was standing by his side, hands on her hips. She was wearing shorts and a tank top, her hair up in curlers.  
"Check this shit out."  
"What?"  
She lifted the book from his chest, allowing him stretch and adjust himself to a comfortable slouch, rubbing his eyes.  
"You asked for my help, I want to show you my secret book."  
"Secret book?" This had definitely captured Adrien's attention, though he was still annoyed to be woken up. "What time is it?"  
"Three."  
"In the afternoon?"  
She snorted. "You wish. I had to wait till your old man left."  
This surprised him, but he didn't get a chance to question what she had seen before she sat cross-legged in front of him. "I think you can help me figure out what this means."  
She put the book between them, pointed to some strange characters, and looked at him through her lashes. "Can you read it?"  
"I don't know what that is. It's not any Chinese or French I know." He looked at the book and wondered if it was even real. "Where did you _get_ this?"  
She pouted, flipping a few pages. He looked at the pictures she had sketched between lines of unfamiliar characters. "That's my ring."  
She nodded once. "Yeah. There was a _lot_ in that book about you. The Black Cat, I should say."  
"You can't read this, I can't read it, what use is it?" Adrien yawned, rubbing at his eyes. He heard a familiar yawn from his bedside table, and both of their heads swiveled to stare.  
"I forgot about him."  
"Is is okay to talk about it here?"  
"He'll know if you leave." She glared at the drawer Plagg was sleeping in, probably nestled up among Adrien's socks and winter hats. "Not like we can ditch the little rodent."  
"Cats aren't rodents."  
"Plagg isn't a cat. Not that that's what I was implying." She sighed and flipped a few more pages. "Anyway, I do know a few things about your Miraculous. I almost know more about yours than I do mine." She chuckled. "Part of me was hoping I'd be chosen for it."  
"Seriously?"  
"You don't think I'd look good in black?" She smiled.  
"I'm not answering that." Adrien narrowed his eyes and yawned again.  
"Good kitty. Does this look familiar?"  
She turned the book around so he could see it right side up, and pointed to a sketch of what looked like earrings, shaded in with grey spots.  
He shook his head and hummed. "Nope."  
"That's the Ladybug Miraculous." She smiled, her voice getting quieter. They leaned towards each other over the book, drawn to the curiosity in the others' eyes.  
"This is your counterpart, Adrien. This is your _other half_."  
"Like, a soulmate of sorts?"  
"This Miraculous gives it's wearer the power to create, to purify and cleanse, yours can destroy. You have the power to corrupt, you can turn anything you touch into nothing, completely obliterate it. You can make a building dissolve with a graze-" She barely grazed his cheek with the very edges of her nails, as if for effect, her stare intense. "I don't even want to imagine what would happen if you touched a _person_."  
Adrien's stomach rolled, it flipped and knotted up and folded in on itself like dough. He looked at the drawer, now silent. _Plagg told me I could purify them, too. I can't purify what I destroy. I can't save them if they're dead. He lied to me. **He lied to me.**_  
"I don't want to hurt anyone."  
"I know."  
"I don't want to kill anyone, or break things, I don't want to break buildings, _I want to help_."  
"I _know_. Adrien I didn't mean to s-"  
"When I first met you, you said the Miraculous was tainting me."  
Ellie backed away slowly, her expression unreadable.  
"Is it going to destroy _me_?"  
She was silent.  
"And...and I got that ring from..." His breath was getting caught in his throat, the walls were closing in. "Did it destroy them, too? Is that why they're gone?"  
"Adrien, I don't know."  
His head was spinning, he just wanted answers. _She's been around you for a good while now, why is she just now bringing this up? Clearly she wanted to hide it from you. She probably knows what happened to your bro-_  
"Stop!"  
He yelled much louder than he meant to, and stared at a rather horrified Ellie. He broke out of his daze and looked back at the drawer, where Plagg's bright eyes peered over the edge of his drawer, narrowed and glaring at her.  
"Plagg?"  
The kwami ignored him. "Stop trying to scare him away."  
"I'm not doing anything like that." Ellie snapped, though clearly nervous. "I'm telling him the truth, which you have yet to do."  
The kwami's eyes went wide, his pupils widening, and Ellie stood. Another kwami, stark white with a blue mark on the center of its head Adrien couldn't quite see came from the pocket on Ellie's tank top.  
"Stand down, Teufel*." The other kwami demanded.  
Plagg hissed lowly, a sound Adrien wasn't even aware the kwami could make, and within a second, positioned himself in front of Adrien's chest, hovering above the boy's lap.  
He was horrified.  
"Blitz."  
"There's no saving this one, liebling*."  
"Save me?"  
Ellie never took her eyes off of Plagg. "He has to do it, doesn't he?" He could see even from his position in the dark that her eyes were filling with tears.  
"I will rescue you, if need be." She spoke softly, quickly snatched the book from the bed, and backed to the door. The entire time, her eyes were glued to Plagg.  
As soon as she was gone, Adrien moved away from Plagg. He dug through his desk, his nightstand, his bag and the jeans he had worn that day. "Where is it?"  
"You're wearing it." Plagg sighed.  
Adrien froze, looked at his hand, and then back to Plagg. "Did you put this on me?"  
"Yes."  
"Why?"  
"You need to make the contract."  
"I don't _need_ to do anything but pay taxes and die, at some point, hopefully not by your hand...paw."  
"Your friend was right. You do have to do it."  
"Or what?"  
"Or I'm going to be a real thorn in your side until you do."  
"Like you aren't already?" Adrien scoffed. "How about this, okay? I take this," He pulled the ring from his finger and held it up so Plagg could see it. "- and I throw it into the ocean?"  
Plagg narrowed his eyes. "You wouldn't."  
"If it means you can't kill me like-"  
"I didn't do anything to them."  
"I don't trust anything you say."  
"Ignorance is bliss with you Agreste's isn't it?" He groaned, clearly annoyed. "You're all so dense. Your mother was smarter, but I guess that gene skipped your generation."  
"I'm this close to putting you in a box and throwing you into the ocean with it."  
"That's dark, Adrien."  
"You murdered-"  
"I didn't."  
"I don't trust you! I have no reason to trust you!"  
"You're alive now because I'm here, because they left me here."  
"I don't believe you." Adrien shook his head, looking around for his shoes. "I don't believe a word that comes out of your mouth."  
"Three people in one family capable of holding a Miraculous, do you really think no one would-"  
"Shut up." He found them, tugged them on and tied them quickly. He held the ring tight and left his room. Plagg had no choice but to follow.  
"Where are you going?"  
Adrien ignored the small creature, swatting him away when he got too close. He snuck downstairs, snatching the kwami out of the air and holding him in a loose fist when he made a loud noise. "You think I can't outrun my father?" Adrien challenged. Plagg heated up, and Adrien yelped, letting him go and waving his hand.  
He made a break for the door, before Plagg could do anything else to get him caught, and fumbled with the lock for a minute before throwing the door open, facing the storm with a bare chest and tired eyes.  
"You're insane!"  
He started running.  
It was liberating, like usual, but with some extra thrill he couldn't pinpoint the source of. The thin fabric of his pajama pants stuck to his legs, but didn't weigh him down. Running without a shirt was also a strange feeling, the wind and rain against his skin.  
He slipped every now and then, but was quick to get up, and no matter what ungodly, protesting noises Plagg made behind him, just behind his ear, he kept running.  
There was a flash flood tunnel here, he remembered seeing older teenagers skating there, and as he expected, it surged with water. He looked at the ring in his hand, thinking of his brother, what he would have done in this situation, and with one last glare at a dumbfounded Plagg, he wound up and hurled it into the chaotic water below him.  
  


 

* * *

 

 

 

"Adrien, oh my God Adrien please, someone help!"  
_Mom?_  
"Jesus Christ, what the hell were you doing?"  
_Elizabeth?_  
He felt weight on his chest, something in his hair, a tingle on his lips. Slow and uneven, feeling returned to his limbs. Through his lids he could see flashing lights, he could hear a high pitched _something_ , far away but annoying. He groaned.  
"Oh my- thank God, Adrien can you hear me? Hold on. Why did you do that?! What were you thinking?!"  
_I'm tired._  
"Adrien, Adrien do something, make a noise."  
_Let me sleep._  
"Open your eyes, Adrien."  
This wasn't a voice he knew, and yet it rang so clear, so close.  
He could see the man in red again, and the woman from his first dream. There was a woman in armor, chainmail, with a large sword. She stood closest to him, staring down at him with expressionless eyes.  
All around him, surrounding them completely, there were more people dressed almost the exact same way. Even behind Ellie, who stood on her knees by his side, her usually white hair deep blue and cloudy.  
_Doesn't she see them?_  
_"It's time to take responsibility, Adrien."_  
_I have to accept._  
The woman in armor nodded.  
_Who are you?_  
_"That isn't important right now. Make your contract, Adrien. Find you counterbalance."_  
"My..."  
Ellie's hair went bright, and her wide eyes flickered to him. Her transformation dropped, and she moved the hair from his face. "Adrien, can you hear me?"  
"Lady..."  



	8. Constants & Variables

"I heard you leave, I followed you. I saw you jump into the water."  
Gabriel Agreste wasn't a man of emotion, not that Adrien had known, anyway, but today was different. Today he was afraid.   
He had expected anger, confusion, but not fear.   
His mind was full of so many questions, buzzing like angry bees against his skull. Apparently Ellie had gone after him, and that's what alerted Gabriel.   
"I'm afraid your dad saw my transformation." she said, once he had finally left the hospital room. "That's the last thing I should be worried about, I'm so sorry, but..."  
Adrien shook his head. His throat felt like it was caked with concrete, it cracked when he moved and a fire burned underneath it when he spoke. "I don't know why I jumped after it."  
She looked past his side, where Gabriel was speaking with a doctor outside. "Me neither. Maybe...because it chose you. Because Plagg chose you, it was am automatic response." She looked back at him, but only for a moment. "I told him it was washed away with the water."  
"But it isn't."  
Ellie shook her head softly. "I have it, and for now, Plagg."  
"I've decided to make the contract."  
Ellie's eyes snapped away from the window, locking onto him. She didn't speak.  
"I saw people, when you woke me up. I think...that other Miraculous, I think it was them."  
She nodded once, slowly. "Are you sure? There's no going back once you accept."  
Adrien looked at his father, who had already begun to regain composure. "Yeah."  
"Do you know what you'll wish for?"  
Adrien looked back at her. "No. Can I-" He coughed once, and Gabriel's head turned quickly, the fear was back.   
He smiled at his father, to show him he was alright. "Can I do it without making a wish first?"  
Ellie hesitated. "Yes. That's wise." She sighed and shifted in her seat. "You've been here all day. Oxygen levels are good, no lung damage, but there's a good chance you'll develop pneumonia."  
Adrien nodded. "Thank you."   
Gabriel came into the room, and took a seat on the opposite side of Adrien's bed. "You'll be home soon."  
He wasn't sure what to say. "Thank you." He repeated.   
For a while, he stared at Elizabeth, who kept her eyes trained on anything else, until Adrien coughed again. "How long have you been here?"  
Gabriel's brows shot up, and truth be told, he looked a little insulted. "Since they brought you in."  
Adrien felt a pang of regret for asking. "Sor-"  
"My _son_ -" He took a deep breath and looked away, pinched the bridge of his nose. "I need to speak with Adrien, Elizabeth."  
Ellie nodded and stood, without a word, she left the room.   
There was silence, and Adrien stared at the door she had closed behind her, wishing she had at least given him a smile, some sort of 'you'll be okay' signal for him.  
"My son, did this." Gabriel finally spoke. "Why would you do this?"  
"It wasn't like-"  
"Adrien _Mathieu_ Agreste, don't you _dare_ lie to my face again."   
Adrien would have, if he had the strength or coordination, moved away. "Fath-"  
"I watched her bring you back, Adrien. I watched you wake up and pass out again."  
"I'm sorry."  
His father avoided his eyes, shook his head, and leaned back in his seat. "I almost lost another son last night."  
"He's really dead, then." Adrien said, without really thinking, and Gabriel's expression went back immediately to his usual, stoic self. "I'm sorry."  
"You'll be home soon, and you will _not_ be leaving."  
Adrien opened his mouth to speak, but Gabriel held a hand up to silence him. "That's final."  


* * *

  
At the first ring, Elizabeth picked up. 

"I wasn't allowed to see you until you got home." Ellie fumed. "He told the doctors not to let me back in."  
"I'm sorry, Ellie."  
"You still apologize too much."   
Adrien ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe if I just tell him-"  
" **No**."  
He was shocked by her sudden change in tone, and his mouth snapped shut.   
"My parents told me you're going back to France."  
"What? When?"  
"Well, they didn't tell me, your dad told them, and I happened to overhear from the radio I left inside his office."  
He brought his voice to a whisper. "You _bugged_ my father's office?"  
"That's really not important. Your dad has no idea the miraculous is still here. If he knows what it is, he doesn't know I have it. Any and _all_ suspicion he once had of you being a, whatever you call it is gone. You're in the clear."  
"How will you get it to me?"  
"I won't, _Windy_ will."   
"What if he's onto you, too? Didn't you say-"  
"Yeah, but he doesn't know that you know." There was another noise behind the phone and it distracted Ellie, temporarily. "Your kwami is a real pain in the ass, you know that?"  
"Yeah, I do." He scoffed, and then sighed. "I'll be released in another hour."  
"Good. Man, if your old man was controlling before, he's got you in Fort Knox now."  
Adrien groaned and leaned fully against the back of his bed.   
"I'll smuggle you some croissants."  
"I appreciate it." He laughed, and then coughed. "Now, again with the bugging of my father's office. Did you really say that, or is there still water in my ears?"  
"That's not funny, Adrien. And yes, I did say that. Did you know how many cameras he has in your house?"  
"Cameras? I haven't seen any."  
"Your old man's computer, the monitors are connected to cameras, I even got a glimpse of the security system, your place may very well already be Fort Knox."  
Adrien shivered, a bit creeped out by the idea of being watched all the time.   
"There isn't one in your room, though, if you were worried about that. There is a...thing. Still not sure what it is, it doesn't look like any normal security feature I've seen. Maybe if I- don't touch that!"  
"Ellie? What's going on?"  
"I was kind of hoping he'd have something funny on here," She continued with an annoyed sigh. Plagg's doing, no doubt. "I dunno, a highschool photo or porn or something."  
"Are you _in_ his office right now?" Adrien almost squeaked.   
"You know what, scratch that porn thing, I don't think I could look at him the same way again if I found that. I am a little curious, though. I can't see him even hav-"  
"Elizabeth."  
"Right, sorry. Yes. I am."  
"Why?"  
"Looking for something."  
"You know how illegal this is, right? How much trouble you'd get in?"  
"Only if I get caught. This isn't my first rodeo, kid."  
He sighed, looked at the muted TV screen and frowned. He wanted to stretch, he wanted to run and feel air in his lungs that didn't burn him, but he also wanted to sleep for a thousand years. "I don't like this, Ellie."  
"It's for a good cause, trust me. I'm trying to help you before you get deported."  
"I'm not being deported." Adrien frowned.   
"It feels like it."  
"I'll still call you, Ellie."  
"Oh, like you call Chloe?"  
"That's different."  
"Holy shit, dude. Adrien there's a whole copy of the book in here."  
"What?"  
"It's in French, Adrien you can read this."  
_Take it! Leave it, get out!_ "What?"  
"Behind the-"   
Some other noise, the shuffle of papers, frantic keyboard clicking, and a hush. "Elizabeth." He whispered.   
Another hush.   
Someone must've gotten into the room. He held his breath. _Please don't get caught, please be okay._  
He hung up, and immediately called his father.   
Two rings, then an answer. No response.   
"Father? It's me."  
"Oh, yes. What do you need? Is something wrong?"  
He racked his brain for a response. He needed to get him out of that office. "You can pick me up now, unless you'd prefer I call someone else."  
"Absolutely not. I'm on my way." He answered sharply. "Wait there."  
"Yes, Father."  
He hung up, waited a moment, and then called Ellie again.   
"That was you, wasn't it?" She whispered.   
"Did it work?"  
"Yes, he just left." She sighed, her voice still quiet. "He almost caught me, he stood right next to me."  
"Get out of there, Ellie. Make sure everything is as you left it, he'll know it anything changed."  
"Got it. I'll wipe this footage and see you soon."  
  



End file.
